Sport

Rangers appeal verdict as Sterling awaits suspension

Published

10 months ago

February 8, 2024

Some of the officiating in the recent round of Scottish Premiership matches has been questionable to say the least, however, Rangers should have put the brakes on appealing against Dujon Sterling’s red card.

Don Robertson couldn’t get the card out quick enough and, despite being questioned by the VAR officials, the whistler still felt that he had made the right call.

And this is why Rangers have made a mistake in requesting an appeal to avoid Dujon Sterling having to sit in the stands.

Rangers have chosen the wrong fight with Dujon Sterling appeal

Looking at the International Football Association Board laws, the definition of serious foul play that warrants a red card is as follows:

“A tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality must be sanctioned as serious foul play.

“Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play.”

The two points that Robertson most likely considered when flashing the red was whether or not the former Chelsea academy kid was in control, was it excessive force and was the opponent being endangered.

Sterling was in control and hadn’t left the ground or lunged in, he was trying to block the pass, not slide tackle Jack MacKenzie.

Force is an issue because, let’s face it, Dujon Sterling is a unit of a player and doesn’t have to be full bloodied to send less athletic players flying.

But the force wasn’t excessive.

Because of the speed that he goes into the tackle, if he gets it wrong, then theirs is a chance that he endangers the opponent and this is probably what Robertson has focussed on.

The only problem with this theory is that Sterling clearly slipped.

It was accidental – which doesn’t negate a red – but Scottish football is littered with this sort of challenge in every game.

This, however, is why Rangers should have appealed.

Think about it.

The referee has made the call.

More officials have then asked him to check if he is happy with his decision and Robertson clearly was because he stuck to his original one after seeing the incident from a few different angles.

If the SFA now turn around and say that Robertson’s interpretation of the law is wrong, what does that say about them, their referees and their training?

We know the answer to that but don’t get your hopes up on the SFA turning on one of their own today when Dujon Sterling and Rangers find out their respective dates.