Rangers have been left frustrated after a controversial first-half penalty claim was dismissed during their 3-2 defeat to Motherwell at Ibrox, a result that further dented their title ambitions.
The key moment came when Djeidi Gassama went down under a challenge from Lukas Fadinger on the edge of the penalty area while the score was still 1-0. Referee Kevin Clancy awarded a free-kick, judging the contact to have occurred outside the box, and the VAR official, Grant Irvine, chose not to recommend an on-field review.
Rangers boss Danny Röhl was adamant his side should have been awarded a penalty, believing the infringement took place inside the area. The incident has since sparked debate among former players and officials over whether the correct decision was made.
Former Rangers defender Alan Hutton felt the officials may have got it wrong, suggesting the contact appeared to occur on or very close to the line. He argued that such a decision, if given as a penalty, could have significantly changed the course of the match given the timing and scoreline.
However, former midfielder Michael Stewart offered a very different interpretation. He claimed that if anything, the foul was actually committed by Gassama rather than against him, arguing the Rangers winger initiated contact and struggled to maintain balance due to his positioning. Stewart maintained that no foul should have been awarded in Rangers’ favour, even if the challenge was marginal.
Adding a different perspective, former referee Dermot Gallagher supported the on-field decision, insisting that VAR was correct not to intervene. He explained that referee Clancy was well positioned to judge the incident and made a clear, confident call in real time. According to Gallagher, the point of contact was just outside the penalty area, and the referee’s decisiveness was key in allowing play to continue.
The disagreement highlights the ongoing scrutiny surrounding VAR decisions in Scottish football, with this incident adding further fuel to debates about consistency and interpretation in tight penalty-area calls. For Rangers, however, the frustration is less about the discussion and more about the outcome, as the defeat leaves them with a significantly tougher path in the title race.
