Rangers Legends McCoist and Gerrard Take Sly Swipe at Celtic Penalty Drama During FA Cup Final
Rangers icons Ally McCoist and Steven Gerrard couldn’t resist taking a swipe at Celtic’s recent refereeing controversy while broadcasting from the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
The former Ibrox figures were providing co-commentary for TNT Sports during Manchester City’s tight 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Saturday.
With the match still deadlocked in the second half, Chelsea saw their appeals for a penalty dismissed after an Enzo Fernandez cross clipped the tucked-in arm of City midfielder Nico O’Reilly.
As the television replays broadcasted the incident, lead commentator Darren Fletcher remarked that if penalties were given for instances like that, everyone might as well go home.
McCoist, who had previously vented his frustration over Celtic’s late VAR penalty award against Motherwell at Fir Park on Wednesday, immediately replied that Fletcher was referencing the wrong country.
The witty remark brought laughter to the commentary box, prompting former Rangers manager Gerrard to joke that McCoist simply could not help himself.
After McCoist offered a sarcastic apology, Gerrard quickly backed up his broadcast partner by stating that he completely agreed with the sentiment.
The banter follows McCoist’s public criticism of Scottish football earlier in the week, where he labeled the game a laughing stock after Motherwell’s Sam Nicholson was penalized for handball. That particular decision allowed Kelechi Iheanacho to score a crucial winning goal, keeping Celtic’s league title hopes firmly alive. At the time, an incensed McCoist called it a horrendous decision that embarrassed the Scottish game.
Despite the widespread outcry and media storm surrounding the Fir Park incident, reports suggest that SFA Head of Refereeing Willie Collum has supported match official John Beaton, confirming that the penalty call was technically correct.
The situation has also taken a more serious turn off the pitch. The SFA released a statement on Friday confirming that Beaton has been placed under police surveillance after his private personal details were leaked online.