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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
David Irvine

Rangers issue fierce response to SFA complaint over John Brown 'corrupt' outburst

Rangers have submitted a full response to the Scottish FA after a Notice of Complaint was issued over John Brown's "corrupt" outburst on commentary.

Hampden officials filed the complaint over remarks made by the former Ibrox player on Rangers TV during the Scottish Premiership match against Hibernian last month.

Brown had criticised the decision not to award Rangers a second goal at Easter Road after Nico Raskin looked to have forced the ball over the line.

Rocky Bushiri hooked the ball clear and Hibs then raced up the park to equalise, leaving Brown furious as VAR did not intervene to award Rangers a goal.

It's understood that VAR did not intervene due to not having a conclusive angle.

Angered by the decision, Brown said: "I would say it is corrupt."

Commentator Tom Miller cautioned: "Well, I'm not sure we can actually say that," before Brown continued: "Well, I am saying it."

A Notice of Complaint was raised by the Scottish FA over the comments. Rangers have responded to the charge and insist no rule was breached and calling out "selective enforcement and inconsistency" over similar incidents.


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A Rangers spokesperson said: “Rangers FC has submitted a full response to the Scottish FA’s Notice of Complaint concerning a remark made during commentary of the Hibernian v Rangers match at the end of last season. The club firmly denies any breach of Scottish FA rules.   “We are surprised that a complaint has been raised at all, given the context of the comment and the Scottish FA's prior treatment of similar incidents.   “Our response highlights that the Scottish FA’s own Key Match Incident Panel judged that the referee’s decision on the day was incorrect, with four out of five panel members agreeing that a goal should have been awarded to Rangers. That finding helps explain the nature of a spontaneous emotional comment, delivered during a highly charged moment and immediately challenged live on air.   “Our response also sets out serious concerns about the Scottish FA’s selective enforcement and inconsistency. We have highlighted multiple examples of similar or stronger remarks made elsewhere in Scottish football that have led to no charges or sanctions.   “While we remain committed to maintaining high standards, we will continue to challenge any action we consider to be unfair or disproportionate. For many supporters, this charge only adds to the wider frustration surrounding regulatory oversight in recent months when there are more serious issues in the game to tackle, including improving officiating standards for the benefit of Scottish football.”

The relevant rule reads: "A club or recognised football body which publishes, distributes, issues, sells or authorises a third party to publish, distribute, issue or sell a match programme or any other publication or audio/visual material of any description in any media now existing or hereinafter invented, including but not limited to the Internet, social networking or micro-blogging sites, shall ensure that any such publications or audio/visual material does not contain any criticism of any match official calculated to indicate bias or incompetence on the part of such match official or to impinge upon his character."

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