‘Disgraceful’ – McCoist & Brazil fume at Celtic controversy after what happened to Rangers

Alan Brazil and Ally McCoist have fumed at the recent controversy surrounding a handball decision given against Celtic as they recalled a recent incident against Rangers.

The pair questioned the process behind the handball decisions, with McCoist calling for the rules to be clarified as there is no consistency with what is and isn’t awarded by the officials.

Brazil went as far as to claim the controversial calls are ruining the game, with the referees no more clear on the rules than the fans and pundits are.

Speaking live on talkSPORT [6 March, 06:09], McCoist shared: “It was disgraceful. It’s incredible. Believe it or not, Kilmarnock got one at home to Rangers, and the Celtic one was far worse, but Lundstram didn’t even move his arm, it’s at his side and it hits him.”

Brazil then responded: “That’s the problem, Ally, nobody knows what the rules are around hand-balls. You could get five referees and three will say one and two will say the other.”

McCoist continued to fume: “They have to bring the word ‘Obvious’ or ‘Deliberate’ in. You and I know, if you’ve played the game at any level you know if it’s a deliberate handball. 99 times out of 100, you know.”

Before, finally, Brazil surmised: “It’s spoiling the game,” and McCoist finished, “It is, it’s absolutely terrible.”

Is refereeing inconsistency ruining the game in Scotland?

Scottish officials have come under fire of late after several controversial decisions against both Old Firm clubs, with McCoist and Brazil the latest to aim their sights at refereeing in the SPFL.

This issue goes beyond Scotland, though, with inconsistencies in decisions a talking point almost every weekend in the Premier League as well, leading to suggestions that either the officials simply aren’t competent enough, or the rules aren’t clear enough.

Rangers in particular have been heavily crucial of referees already this season, with both Alan Muir and Willie Collum coming under fire for controversial calls against the Ibrox club, going as far as to suggest Collum was banned from officiating their games.

Chris Sutton discussed what he labelled as “conspiracy theories” after it was shared that officials in the SPFL don’t have to declare which team they support, leading to the possibility of having a Celtic fan refereeing a Rangers game and vice versa.