Nico Raskin’s decision to retain the captain’s armband after Lawrence Shankland entered the pitch has drawn sharp reactions from former Scottish football stars.
Raskin, serving as stand-in skipper, led Rangers to a 5-1 Premier Sports Cup victory against St Mirren. However, when club captain Shankland came off the bench in the 63rd minute, Raskin did not hand over the armband.
Speaking on Go Radio, former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson indicated he would have handled the situation differently, stating he always passed or received the armband whenever the primary captain came onto the field. While show host Paul Cooney called the gesture “disrespectful,” Ferguson refrained from using that label, though he noted that passing the armband remains standard practice in the game.
Former Celtic midfielder Charlie Mulgrew suggested the moment reflected deeper issues within the squad, pointing out that players typically feel an obligation to hand the armband over immediately. Mulgrew added that the incident points to a potential grey area regarding leadership authority at Ibrox.