As an ardent Rangers fan, former referee Jeff Winter managed to set aside his allegiance when evaluating Abdallah Sima’s disallowed goal. In a tense moment during the cup final between Rangers and Celtic, Sima seemed to have scored the opening goal from a corner, prompting jubilation among the Gers faithful. However, a VAR review revealed a shove by Nico Raskin on Joe Hart, leading to referee John Beaton disallowing the goal upon further inspection.

Rangers’ manager Philippe Clement expressed doubts about the decision, claiming it was a soft call compared to the physicality his players endured. Some fans even argued that Greg Taylor’s hold on Raskin was the real foul, leading to the subsequent incident with the goalkeeper. Despite his ties to Rangers, Winter downplayed these claims, pointing out that the foul occurred before the corner was taken, rendering it invalid.

Winter bluntly stated, “If Raskin was held while the ball was in play, it would be a penalty; otherwise, no penalty. Raskin did push Hart with both hands—this is not up for debate.” On the other hand, former Scottish referees Des Roache and Steve Conroy, hosts of the Behind the Whistles podcast, revealed conflicting views on the controversial decision.