Gers End Season on High Note Amid More Refereeing Debate
Rangers wrapped up their Scottish Premiership season on Saturday lunchtime with an entertaining 5-2 victory over Falkirk. True to form for this campaign, the match was not without its own share of refereeing controversy.
The headlines this week have been completely dominated by the aftermath of Celtic’s late midweek penalty. That specific decision ultimately allowed Celtic to edge out Hearts for the league title on the final day of the season.
A similarly baffling call on the surface took place during Rangers’ high-scoring win at the Falkirk Stadium. Youssef Chermiti starred as the hat-trick hero for the Gers, while Djeidi Gassama and Thelo Aasgaard also found the back of the net, with Aasgaard scoring from the penalty spot.
Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News, former referee Keith Hackett shared his perspective on the controversial penalty decision made against Mohamed Diomande during the season finale.
Mohamed Diomande Rightly Penalised for Handball
While the victory over Falkirk snapped a miserable four-game losing streak, it cannot mask the deeper issues of what has been a highly disappointing campaign for Danny Rohl’s squad. Finishing third behind both Celtic and Hearts falls well short of expectations, and major questions must be answered by several key figures at the club.
If supporters are looking for a silver lining, the team did deliver a potent attacking performance against Falkirk, even if the stakes were incredibly low.
Falkirk managed to stay competitive until early in the second half. Calvin Miller converted a 43rd-minute penalty to bring the scoreline to 3-2 just before the interval. Referee Duncan Nicolson awarded the spot-kick following a prolonged VAR review for a handball by Diomande.
The decision initially looked incredibly harsh because Diomande had virtually no time to get his arm out of the way. Despite this, Hackett praised the official for making the call.
“Contact takes place with Diomande and the referee is correct in awarding the penalty kick,” Hackett stated.
Fortunately for Rangers, the moment did not alter the outcome of the match. The Gers even earned a penalty of their own later in the afternoon, which Aasgaard calmly converted.
Title Decided Following Midweek Refereeing Blunder
The events at Falkirk Stadium were secondary to the massive drama unfolding elsewhere in the Scottish Premiership. Celtic faced off against Hearts in a winner-takes-all title showdown, with Celtic securing a 3-1 victory to snatch the trophy away from their rivals.
Predictably, Celtic benefited from a few favorable whistle blows on the final day, though none were quite as shocking as the late penalty they received in midweek.
The harsh reality is that this highly entertaining season will ultimately be remembered for major refereeing blunders. Celtic will hardly care about the critics, which leaves the responsibility on Rangers to channel their frustration and return with a stronger campaign this August.