The Scottish FA's Key Match Incident panel has determined that Philippe Clement was mistaken in his post-match critique following a penalty awarded against Rangers defender John Souttar during their clash with Hibernian last weekend.
In a tightly contested Scottish Premiership match at Ibrox, Hibs was presented with a golden opportunity to equalise when Mykola Kukharevych's close-range shot struck Souttar's hand as he attempted to block it.
Initially, referee Nick Walsh allowed the game to proceed, but the VAR team intervened, prompting Walsh to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
After this consultation, he decided to award a penalty, much to the frustration of the Rangers camp.
As the first half drew to a close, Jack Butland stepped up to the challenge, successfully saving Kukharevych’s penalty attempt from 12-yards and preserving Rangers' narrow lead given to them by Tom Lawrence.
The match concluded with Rangers triumphing 1-0, but the post-match atmosphere was charged with tension, particularly from Clement, who expressed his discontent at the officials' decision vehemently.
Read more:
- Clement confident Europa League defeat can make Rangers 'stronger'
- Ally McCoist criticises Rangers' decline in European standards
In his remarks after the game, the Belgian manager insisted that Souttar’s hand was in a natural position and that the defender was simply too close to Kukharevych when the shot was taken.
Clement went so far as to leave his seat during the post-match press conference to physically demonstrate his viewpoint, illustrating the intensity of his feelings regarding the incident.
His passionate defence of Souttar highlighted the ongoing debate surrounding handball rules and their interpretation in modern football, a topic that continues to spark controversy among players, managers, and fans alike.
"The panel deemed the on-field decision as incorrect and supported the VAR's decision to intervene to award the penalty," an extract from Friday's panel stated.
"They noted that the referee was correct not to show a red card as the defender wasn’t Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity (DOGSO). This was due to the position of the Rangers goalkeeper."
Read more:
-
Butland makes 'different approach' Rangers admission after Lyon loss
-
Lyon boss knows his side scored at the 'worst moment' for Rangers
At the time, Clement raged: "My question is 'why is that a penalty?'
"You have a player who puts his leg up to go to the ball, so he's wide. At that moment, he sees the other player make contact, so he makes himself smaller to put his arm in front of him. And then the ball touches him, and his arm goes up.
"In that short distance, I've seen this situation in the last couple of weeks, where people have had their arm out of their body, and there was no penalty. It was discussed before the season not to give those easy penalties from short distance in those moments. For me, it's not a penalty."
