Rangers Express Disappointment Over VAR Error in League Cup Final, Citing Credibility Concerns for Scottish Football

Rangers has stated that the officiating error during the League Cup final is “hugely disappointing” and “damaging for the credibility of Scottish football more widely”. The club from Ibrox issued a statement following the acknowledgement by Willie Collum, the Scottish FA’s head of referee operations, that VAR officials made a “really, really poor” and “unacceptable” choice by not awarding Rangers a penalty against Celtic in Sunday’s final. During extra time, when Rangers, who ultimately lost on penalties after a 3-3 draw, received a free-kick after referee John Beaton penalized Liam Scales for pulling Vaclav Cerny near the edge of the Celtic penalty area, VAR did not intervene. Video replays subsequently demonstrated that the foul extended into the penalty box. An Ibrox spokesperson communicated: “Rangers notes the Scottish FA’s admission of an officiating failure following the non-award of a penalty to Rangers in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final and welcomes the transparency from the Scottish FA.” “However, for such a failure to occur during one of Scotland’s showcase matches is not only hugely disappointing for the club and its supporters, but also damaging for the credibility of Scottish football more widely.” “We acknowledge the Scottish FA’s determination to use this and other decision-making failures as opportunities to drive improvements in officiating standards.” “As a club, we will continue to engage with the Scottish FA in an attempt to improve officiating standards for the benefit of all clubs in Scotland.”