RANGERS are to demand an explanation from the Scottish FA asking why Celtic’s Auston Trusty wasn’t sent off in the Hampden derby.
The defender caught Gers goalkeeper Jack Butland with a boot to the head late in the first half of the Premier Sports Cup semi-final but was only shown a yellow card by referee Nick Walsh.
That decision was upheld by a VAR check, allowing Trusty to play the entire 120 minutes in a man-of-the-match display.
Rangers had already lost Thelo Aasgaard to a red card by that point for catching Anthony Ralston with a high boot.
And they are now set to challenge the SFA’s head of refereeing Willie Collum to explain why Trusty didn’t face the same sanction.
Ibrox bosses believe that no attempt was made to play the ball and that Trusty endangered the safety of an opponent and should have been sent off for serious foul play or violent conduct.
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The decision not to send off Trusty was a massive turning point, with Celtic enjoying a man advantage for the rest of the regulation 90 minutes and extra time.
And former ref Bobby Madden felt it had been the wrong call.
He wrote on his Instagram: “Missed red card. No opportunity to play the ball. Deliberate act and makes contact with the face. Violent conduct.”
Celtic won the tie 3-1 thanks to goals from Johnny Kenny, Callum McGregor and Callum Osmand to set up a final meeting with St Mirren on December 14.
James Tavernier’s penalty equaliser late in the regulation 90 minutes had taken the tie to extra-time.
There were several controversial talking points throughout the game – with most of them centring on the calls made by VAR and the match officials.
And Madden reckons it was a case of two right and one wrong from Walsh.
On the Aasgaard red card for a high boot on Ralston, he wrote: “Correct red card.
“No intent, but the actions endangered the safety of the opponent. Serious foul play.”
There was praise for Walsh for spotting Ralston’s handball for the Rangers penalty – and said no yellow card was the RIGHT call.
He added: “Referee does well to identify this. If you throw yourself at the ball and the ball strikes the arm outside the body it has to be a penalty kick.
“It stopped being a mandatory yellow card offence two seasons ago so no caution is correct.”
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