Rangers React to Willie Collum’s Admission of VAR Error

Rangers have responded to the Scottish FA’s acknowledgment of a significant VAR mistake during the Premier Sports Cup final, labeling the incident as “damaging for the credibility of Scottish football.”

The controversy arose when Vaclav Cerny was fouled by Liam Scales during extra time. Referee John Beaton awarded a free-kick instead of a penalty, and VAR official Alan Muir failed to intervene despite replay footage clearly showing Cerny’s foot on the penalty area line.

IFAB Rule and Admission of Error

According to IFAB rules: “If a defender starts holding an attacker outside the penalty area and continues holding inside the penalty area, the referee must award a penalty kick.”

Refereeing chief Willie Collum addressed the incident during the VAR Review Show, admitting that the failure to award a penalty was a glaring error.

“We acknowledge that it’s a really, really poor decision,” Collum stated.
“It’s an unacceptable decision. The VAR team know that. Everybody in refereeing knows that.
“We will do our very, very best through coaching and analysis to make sure an incident like this never happens again. It’s a mistake, and it’s a bad mistake.”

Rangers’ Official Response

A Rangers spokesperson acknowledged the Scottish FA’s transparency in admitting the error but expressed deep disappointment that such a failure occurred during a showcase match at Hampden Park.

“Rangers FC 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.”

Next Steps

Rangers have vowed to collaborate with the Scottish FA to help raise officiating standards across the board, ensuring that similar errors are avoided in the future. The incident has reignited debate about the implementation and oversight of VAR in Scottish football.

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