Dermot Gallagher has commended the referees for giving Rangers a penalty against Hibernian on Saturday (30 March) during the first half of play.
Speaking on Monday, April 1, at 11:54 a.m. on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, the former English Premier League referee revealed that after Nectarios Triantis was found to have caught John Souttar with his arm after a VAR check, he originally believed it was a “very harsh” judgment.
In the Gers’ 3-1 victory at Ibrox, he acknowledged after watching a tape of the event that the referees were “absolutely right” to award the penalty. James Tavernier then had the opportunity to shoot but failed.
Gallagher remarked, “When I saw this, I thought really harsh.” “You’re exactly right, when I watched the replay when it went to the VAR.
“It’s a yellow card, too, as his flailing arm catches him in the face,” I would add. I have to give the VAR credit since at first I didn’t think it was a foul. Upon viewing the replay, it was evidently a foul.
Hibernian penalty decision by Rangers was warranted.
Although there has been some discussion regarding the validity of Rangers’ penalty award, Gallagher’s ruling supports the officials’ assessment.
The number of penalties the Gers have received this season has drawn criticism from the SFA; while some of them may have been questionable, this one most definitely wasn’t.
In the end, it didn’t really matter because Scott Wright’s rebound was disqualified for encroachment and Tavernier missed the free throw attempt.
But the Light Blues captain scored a few minutes later to put his team ahead and become the highest-scoring defender in British history, so they didn’t allow that setback get to them.
When his team gets ready to play Celtic in the Old Firm on April 7, Philippe Clement will be hoping they can build on their triumph.
In related Rangers news, a pundit responded to a charge made against the SFA after an Old Firm development.
