Rangers give SFA warning after ‘corrupt’ remark fine

Rangers say the Scottish FA “will be watched closely” after a fine of £3,000 was imposed following a remark made by former player John Brown on club media.

The Ibrox club said they would “firmly deny any breach of Scottish FA rules” after former Ibrox defender Brown called a refereeing decision “corrupt” on Rangers TV.

In the final match of Rangers’ league season, Nicolas Raskin appeared to bundle the ball over the line, with the SFA’s key match incident panel later ruling the goal should have stood.

The club explained they had “flagged numerous examples of similar incidents on club channels” as part of their defence.

“These incidents raise legitimate questions about Scottish FA rules and how consistently they are enforced,” Rangers said in a statement.

“To our knowledge, none of these cases appear to have resulted in charges against the respective clubs.

“The lack of consistency with the Scottish FA’s policing of similar incidents leaves more questions than answers. That is why we will be contacting the Scottish FA chief executive and president to seek clarity on what policies and processes the compliance officer has in place, if any, to ensure a consistent and proportionate approach to enforcement and the equal treatment of member clubs.

Referee Nick Walsh and his on-field officials thought the ball had been kept out by Hibernian defender Rocky Bushiri, and VAR Andrew Dallas ruled that there was no camera angle that proved Raskin’s effort had gone in.

Hibs equalised through Kieron Bowie moments later, with the match finishing 2-2.

Brown said on the club’s in-house TV channel: “I would say it is corrupt.”

Commentator Tom Miller replied: “Well, I’m not sure we can actually say that.” However, Brown added: “Well, I am saying it.”

Rangers subsequently demanded the introduction of goal-line technology.

“John Brown spoke emotionally and spontaneously as someone who cares deeply about the club. His words were not scripted, and they were not an official club comment,” Rangers said.

“The ruling however sets a precedent where even spontaneous, corrected remarks made during live coverage of a clear refereeing error are enough to trigger a formal sanction. That is neither proportionate nor consistent, especially when other clubs have made stronger comments on official platforms without consequence.

“To be clear, we referenced these other examples not to suggest they should have resulted in sanctions, but to highlight the clear inconsistency in how similar incidents have been handled.

“Club media channels are, by nature, passionate and partisan. Informal, tongue-in-cheek and emotional commentary comes with the territory, especially in live settings.

“But, in choosing to pursue this case, the Scottish FA has opened the door to closer scrutiny of how similar situations are handled going forward.”