SNS GroupRangers have reacted with anger after the club was fined over comments made by former player John Brown on match commentary.
During Rangers TV’s coverage of the team’s away match against Hibs in May, Brown described a decision to not allow Rangers a goal as “corrupt”.
That saw the Ibrox club charged under Scottish FA rules, which prevent management, players or any club staff from suggesting “bias or incompetence” from match officials.
A disciplinary panel convened by the governing body reached a verdict that Brown had broken the rules by alleging bias and then doubling down on his initial comment, fining Rangers £3,000.
The decision has prompted Rangers to issue a statement claiming that similar incidents at other clubs have gone unpunished, and that the decision has “implications for clarity and confidence in the regulatory system”.
The club said that Brown has spoken “spontaneously and emotionally” and that his comments “come with the territory” of live broadcasting.
Rangers say they will be contacting SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell and president Mike Mulraney with their concerns, and that they will be watching closely to see how the rules apply in future.
SNS GroupThe controversy centres on Rangers TV’s coverage of the team’s match away against Hibs in May.
Rangers thought they had opened up a two-goal lead in the game, when Nico Raskin believed he had scored before a clearance from Rocky Bushiri.
Referee Nick Walsh and his assistants didn’t give the goal and Hibs went on to equalise moments later through Kieron Bowie. A lengthy VAR check by Andrew Dallas reached the conclusion there was no camera angle that proved the ball had fully crossed the line.
Rangers later slammed the decision and called for the introduction of goal-line technology but Brown’s disciplinary charge comes from his words in commentary at the time of the incident.
“I would say it is corrupt,” the former defender said, before commentator Tom Miller replied “Well, I’m not sure we can actually say that.”
Brown then doubled down, replying: “Well, I am saying it”.
Rangers insist that those were “spontaneous, corrected remarks” that should not meet the threshold for action and said that they presented the disciplinary panel with numerous other examples that showed inconsistency in what was being punished.
“These incidents raise legitimate questions about Scottish FA rules and how consistently they are enforced,” a club spokesperson said in a lengthy 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.
“We shall also be asking the Scottish FA whether they accept that a rule that cannot be applied consistently across all clubs and all platforms risks losing credibility as a fair and enforceable regulation.
“Our aim here is to understand the rationale behind the differing outcomes. A lack of consistency, or the perception of it, undermines confidence in the disciplinary process and exposes all member clubs to uncertainty about what is and is not allowed.”
The club says they did not reference other examples because they believe they should have resulted in sanctions but to highlight inconsistency.
Action being taken over comments made by club employees is relatively rare but BBC pundit Richard Foster was charged by compliance officer Martin Black for a similar rule breach last year.
Foster was disciplined because he was a Motherwell coach when he appeared on radio in his role as a pundit and described an SFA description of a refereeing decision as “lies”.
He later apologised but was given a six-game suspension over the outburst.
Former Celtic player Tom Boyd hit the headlines six years ago when he criticised referee John Beaton for not awarding his club a penalty against Dunfermline, saying: “If he doesn’t know that’s a penalty he should not be in the middle of the park refereeing a football game. He’ll probably be welcomed down his pub tonight again.”
Then SFA compliance officer Clare Whyte looked into the comments at the time but decided they did not meet the threshold for further action.
Rangers have been instructed to pay their £3,000 fine within 30 days.
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