Rangers 'remain unsatisfied' after meeting with Willie Collum over refereeing of League Cup semi-final

Rangers has confirmed they “remain unsatisfied” after chief executive Patrick Stewart met with Scottish FA head of referees Willie Collum to seek an explanation over the refereeing of the League Cup semi-final.

Celtic went through to next month’s final against St Mirren with a 3-1 extra-time win after what was an incident-packed match.

Johnny Kenny had put Celtic in front at Hampden before Rangers were reduced to ten men following Thelo Aasgaard’s challenge on Anthony Ralston.

However, Rangers believed Celtic should also have had a man sent off just before half-time when Auston Trusty’s boot made contact with goalkeeper Jack Butland’s head when the Englishman had both hands on the ball.

Match referee Nick Walsh decided there wasn’t force behind the contact and showed the USA international defender a yellow card but some Rangers players were furious it wasn’t red. VAR officials backed the on-field referee and didn’t ask him to revisit his decision on the monitor.

The club says they “remain unsatisfied” following a meeting with the Scottish FA to discuss major decisions during the semi-final.

Rangers believe the VAR process following the incident between Trusty and Butland was not “sufficiently robust or thorough”.

The Glasgow side doesn’t believe there has been “enough change in how refereeing is being developed at the highest level” despite the club raising concerns consistently

A statement from the club read: “We recognise that refereeing decisions can impact both sides in a game, but too many important matches continue to be influenced by calls that are inconsistent and difficult to justify. These decisions have real consequences, determining results, impacting fans, and affecting the livelihoods of players, coaches and staff whose work is judged by outcomes on the pitch.

“The club has consistently raised issues as they have occurred with the Scottish FA, but we do not feel there has been enough change in how refereeing is being developed at the highest level.

“We understand and share the anger among our supporters, who have grown frustrated at the repeated inconsistencies in major match decisions that continue to affect the club.

“For the benefit of our supporters and the wider game in the country, we will continue to hold the Scottish FA to account and expect them to lead meaningful progress that delivers lasting improvement.”