Rangers “don’t need motivation out of negativity” according to manager Philippe Clement, who also asked his team to put the League Cup final penalty decision out of their minds.
According to Willie Collum, head of referee operations for the Scottish FA, the decision to deny Rangers a penalty against Celtic was “really, really poor” and “unacceptable” by the video assistant refereeing officials.
Although the VAR did not step in, the Ibrox team, who lost on penalties following a 3–3 draw, were given a free-kick for a pull on Vaclav Cerny that started outside the Celtic area but carried into it.
According to Clement, Rangers need to “put that to bed in our heads and stop thinking about it” as they get ready for Saturday’s Premiership matchup against Dundee.
“You can’t think about that all the time. Now is the time to concentrate and take the three points. The Belgian, whose team is 11 points behind league leaders Celtic, stated, “And not look back.”
“What happened at this moment will linger in the back of our minds for the rest of our lives. However, we must now concentrate on the present.
“We don’t require negative motivation. We aim to win prizes and games.
“We should have had a penalty because we were the team that generated the most chances during the game. In a cup final, that’s a lot; typically, you win in the end.
While stating that it is “very clear” that there was “no grey area” in the event, Clement also commended Collum’s candour in acknowledging his mistake and expressed support for his efforts to improve refereeing standards in Scotland.
Collum said that assistant Frank Connor and VAR officials Alan Muir were “not forensic enough” and proceeded “far too quickly” in their investigation of the incident.
“It’s been good there was transparency from Willie Collum – it doesn’t help the result but we appreciate the honesty for sure,” Clement said.
“Everyone at the club hopes that Willie is not the only one fighting to improve standards, but that everyone at the top of the SFA has the same goal.
“These things cannot occur because losing a game like that is bad for Scottish football as much as for Rangers or any other team.
“Everyone in Europe has been discussing what transpired in this final, and it was a really poor advertisement for Scottish football. It’s unfortunate for Scottish football.
