Former refereeing chief Keith Hackett has backed the match officials who disallowed Ryan Naderi’s late strike in Czechia’s 3-1 Nations League defeat against Spain, insisting the decision was entirely justified.

​The Rangers forward believed he had rescued an equaliser for his national side on Saturday, October 3. After Spain had built momentum through strikes from Lamine Yamal and Rodri, countered only by Jiri Slama for the visitors, Czechia pushed forward into the closing stages. In the 79th minute, a curling free kick into the box forced an uncharacteristic error from Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, who dropped the delivery right at Naderi’s feet. The Gers attacker quickly poked the loose ball into the open net, momentarily sparking jubilation on the Czech bench.

​Their celebrations proved short-lived. A subsequent VAR review revealed an infraction during the sequence leading up to the goal. Midfielder Lukas Cerv had actively held and hauled back Spanish centre-back Robin Le Normand on the periphery of the penalty area. Following the check, the referee chalked off the goal and penalised Cerv. The decision triggered heavy protests from the Czech team, culminating in a yellow card for Ladislav Krejci for dissent, while Spain held firm to claim all three points.

​Hackett, previously the general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and an experienced FIFA referee, stated that the officials got the major call spot on. Speaking exclusively on the incident, he highlighted the cultural differences between domestic UK football and European competitions.

​According to Hackett, players in the Premier League and Scottish Premiership often become accustomed to a more lenient threshold regarding shirt-pulling and wrestling during set pieces. When transitioning to the international stage, where continental referees typically adopt a far stricter stance on obstruction, those habits can prove costly. Hackett noted that the referee clearly identified the foul as it happened, though he pointed out that blowing the whistle before the ball crossed the line would have eliminated unnecessary confusion. Nevertheless, he praised the officiating crew for punishing clear holding, urging British referees to adopt identical rigor.

​Naderi was not the only Rangers forward to endure refereeing frustration over the international break. Macedonian international Bojan Miovski was also involved in a disputed decision during a 2-0 defeat to Scotland. The striker conceded a penalty and received a booking after blocking a point-blank effort right on his own goal line. Many observers, including Hackett, felt the decision was excessively harsh given the lack of reaction time from point-blank range, suggesting a corner kick would have been a far fairer outcome. John McGinn converted the ensuing penalty to double Scotland’s lead.

​Despite the setback on international duty, Naderi and his club colleagues will look to shift focus back to domestic obligations with Rangers, hoping for more favorable outcomes from the officials once league action resumes.