Michael Stewart has branded the decision to award handball against Aberdeen's Jayden Richardson at Rangers as 'ludicrous'
Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men hit Aberdeen for four goals in an Ibrox romp - after recovering from an early set back with Connor Barron firing the visitors ahead. It was a big result and performance to match for the Light Blues. They've gone through a sticky period with domestic displays poor and lost five from five in the Champions League.
Antonio Colak, John Lundstram, James Tavernier and Alfredo Morelos were all on target for Rangers at Ibrox but it was the decision to award a penalty at 3-1 that had Jim Goodwin's men raging. Skipper Tavernier missed the subsequent spot-kick. However, the defender was adamant he could do nothing to avoid the ball striking him with pundit Stewart in full agreement.
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He told BBC Sportscene: "I just think handball's ludicrous to be perfectly honest. That to me is never a handball. It deflects up off of Richardson...are the officials trying to tell us that he has deliberately handballed that? That would be one of the most ludicrous things on planet earth.
"There's nobody round him, it bounces off his leg. 'I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll just punch the ball away.' It's an accidental handball, his arm has moved after it's deflected off his leg. It's not deliberate, it's not a penalty."
Celtic were also awarded a penalty in their comfortable win over Livingston at the Tony Macaroni Arena. Substitute Giorgos Giakoumakis missed from 12-yards but it didn't prove costly as the Hoops ran out 3-0 winners to regain their four point lead at the top.
Asked by Jonathan Sutherland if it was going to be a long debate over the decision to point to the spot, the pundit said: "It's quite simple. You just say it's not a penalty then you leave it there.
"The law has been butchered over a number of years but what it says is that the player is deemed to have made their body unnaturally bigger if it is not the consequence of the body movement.
"Now, to me, when the body moves, the arm moves. His arm is right up next to his chest, tucked in. Where should he put his arm?"
"But it's a consequence of him moving. It is extremely harsh to be giving that as a penalty.
"We saw one at Ibrox yesterday where with Jayden Richardson where the ball bounced up and collided with his arm. I just think it's so incredibly harsh to be punishing defenders for things that are accidental and just a consequence of moving. People don't stand still with their arms by their sides when they play football."
Fellow pundit Kenny Miller couldn't help but agree, he added. "Unfortunately I agree with Michael. I don't think it's a penalty.
"I don't think his elbow could be any tighter to his body. Yes, his arm's out a little bit but it's like Mikey says, it's pretty natural with how he's moving."
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