Cyril Dessers and Rangers fans were left furious with referee Nick Walsh during the first half of their Scottish Premiership defeat to Motherwell at Ibrox on Saturday.
First-half goals from Luke Armstrong and Tom Sparrow put Motherwell on the path to victory, with Dessers, 30, managing to pull one back for Rangers in the 54th minute, which ultimately proved to be a consolation.
There was late drama in Barry Ferguson’s Ibrox homecoming when Dessers believed he had scored a second goal, only for the offside flag to go up and VAR to confirm the decision.
However, another contentious moment occurred in the first half when Motherwell were leading 1-0. Dessers and the Rangers crowd were convinced they should have been awarded an indirect free-kick inside the penalty box.
Walsh ignores Rangers pass-back shouts v Motherwell:
In the 23rd minute, Motherwell’s Lennon Miller, who has been linked with a move to Rangers, appeared to play a back-pass to goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe, who then picked up the ball after it bounced in front of him.
Home fans and several Rangers players immediately raised their arms, appealing to referee Walsh for an indirect free-kick inside the penalty area.
Position Team Played GD Points
- Celtic 29 +70 75
- Rangers 29 +33 50
Celtic extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 16 points over Rangers on Saturday.
Former FIFA-listed referee Keith Hackett, however, suggested that the ball had touched Dessers before reaching Balcombe, a detail the nearby assistant referee would have communicated to Walsh.
“The assistant referee is in a good position to judge if the ball has made contact on its way to goal,” Hackett told Ibrox News.
“He will have communicated through his comms system and that enables the decision to be made that the ball had struck a player and therefore was not a back pass.”
Rangers fans clutching at straws:
After footage of the incident circulated on social media, many Rangers fans were convinced that Walsh had made a glaring error by not awarding an indirect free-kick inside the Motherwell box.
However, it was evident that the ball had struck Dessers before reaching Balcombe, as the incident occurred right in front of the assistant referee, who would have relayed this information to Walsh immediately.
If you’re a Rangers fan complaining about incidents like this, it’s time to stop. The referees aren’t the ones costing the team—it’s the players, the management, and the board.
The 49ers Enterprises takeover cannot come soon enough for Ibrox.
