What a disgrace. In a match that should have been remembered for Tuur Rommens’ moment of magic – that sweet, curling strike into the bottom corner in the 31st minute to seal a gritty 1-0 victory for Rangers – the real story is yet another blatant theft from the men in black (and the invisible ones in the VAR booth).
Let’s set the scene. Just 12 minutes in, Rangers are pressing hard on the road against a stubborn, managerless St Mirren side fighting for survival. Nicolas Raskin’s header from a dangerous corner is goal-bound, screaming toward the net… until it smacks straight off the arm of Alex Gogic. The ball literally cannons off his limb in an unnatural position, blocking what looked like a certain goal-scoring opportunity or at the very least forcing a reaction save.
Rangers players swarm the referee Steven McLean. The away end erupts in fury. Nicolas Raskin looks absolutely livid – and rightly so. But McLean waves it away like it’s nothing. VAR gets involved… and shockingly, they back the on-field decision. No penalty. Play on. Move along.
This isn’t just a debatable call. This is daylight robbery. Gogic’s arm is clearly away from his body, making himself bigger in the box. The header is heading goalward. If this happens at the other end – say, a Rangers defender doing the exact same thing – we’d have pundits screaming for weeks about “clear and obvious” handball. But because it’s Rangers claiming it? Suddenly it’s “you can’t expect penalties for things like that,” as one pundit casually dismissed it on air.
Former Rangers man Scott Arfield even chimed in post-match, noting Raskin’s fury but somehow concluding it was the “right” decision. Come on. The replays don’t lie – limited as they were on the broadcast (Sky showed one quick angle and moved on faster than you can say “bias”). Fans on X (Twitter) are tearing it apart: comparisons to other recent handballs where penalties were given (looking at you, Dundee United scenarios), accusations of inconsistency, and straight-up claims that VAR dissects every Rangers moment looking for excuses to chop things down.
And let’s not forget the broader context. Rangers grind out this win to close the gap at the top – moving within touching distance of the leaders despite a performance that was more sweat than silk. They survive late pressure, see a second goal chalked off for offside in stoppage time (fair enough on that one), and pick up three massive points on the road. But the narrative? Dominated by yet another “what if” moment that could have made it comfortable.
This isn’t isolated. Scottish football’s officiating has been a circus for years – handball rules applied like a lottery, VAR checks that feel one-sided, and decisions that always seem to go against the big two when it matters. Rangers fans are fed up, and today was another chapter in the saga.
Credit to Danny Rohl’s side for battling through it. Rommens’ finish was class – a moment of quality in a scrappy, low-block slog. The defense held firm under pressure, and the three points keep the title challenge breathing. But make no mistake: this should have been 2-0 or more comfortable. Instead, we get headlines about “ugly win” and “slog,” while the real scandal – the non-penalty – gets brushed under the carpet.
Until the SFA sorts out consistency, transparency (release the VAR audio!), and stops treating certain clubs like they’re above the rules, these controversies will keep coming. Rangers were robbed today. Plain and simple.
What do you think, kayode? Stonewall pen or soft appeal? Drop your take – and if you’ve got clips or more angles, share ’em! Mon the Gers. 💙