Rangers eviscerate SFA over 'lack of consistency' as John Brown commentary claim lands financial penalty

Daily Record

19-06-2025

The comments from the Ibrox icon were made on air during the end of season draw with Hibs
Raging Rangers chiefs have warned the SFA the decision to fine the club over John Brown 's Easter Road outburst threatens the credibility of the Hampden rulebook.
The Ibrox outfit have been fined £3000 for comments made by the Gers legend as he co-commented for the club's official TV channel during last month's Premiership draw with Hibs.
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The retired defender lashed out at the decision by referee Nick Walsh and his VAR assistants not to award Nico Raskin 's Leith 'ghost goal', branding the incident 'corrupt'.
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That was enough for the SFA to charge Rangers with a breach of Disciplinary Rule 38, which prohibits clubs publishing material that 'indicates bias or incompetence on the part of such match official'.
But furious Ibrox bosses have been left stunned after the charge was upheld by an SFA judicial panel.
And they are now demanding an explanation of why other clubs have not been punished for a string of similar incidents.
As part of their defence, the Light Blues lawyers provided numerous examples of rival commentary teams stepping out of line while broadcasting on live games.
But that wasn't enough to get Gers off the hook.
Now the Ibrox outfit have released a stinging statement which says: 'Rangers FC today has been found by a Scottish FA judicial panel to have been in breach of Disciplinary Rule 38, following a remark made during commentary of the Hibernian v Rangers game in May. The club has been fined £3,000.
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'We feel it is necessary to highlight the broader concerns this outcome raises and the wider implications this has for clarity and confidence in their regulatory processes.
'John Brown spoke emotionally and spontaneously as someone who cares deeply about the club. His words were not scripted, and they were not an official club comment.
'The ruling however sets a precedent where even spontaneous, corrected remarks made during live coverage of a clear refereeing error are enough to trigger a formal sanction.
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"That is neither proportionate nor consistent, especially when other clubs have made stronger comments on official platforms without consequence.
'As part of our defence today, we flagged numerous examples of similar incidents on club channels.
"These incidents raise legitimate questions about Scottish FA rules and how consistently they are enforced. To our knowledge, none of these cases appear to have resulted in charges against the respective clubs.
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'The lack of consistency with the Scottish FA's policing of similar incidents leaves more questions than answers.
'That is why we will be contacting the Scottish FA chief executive and president to seek clarity on what policies and processes the Compliance Officer has in place, if any, to ensure a consistent and proportionate approach to enforcement and the equal treatment of member clubs.
'We shall also be asking the Scottish FA whether they accept that a rule that cannot be applied consistently across all clubs and all platforms risks losing credibility as a fair and enforceable regulation.
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'Our aim here is to understand the rationale behind the differing outcomes. A lack of consistency, or the perception of it, undermines confidence in the disciplinary process and exposes all member clubs to uncertainty about what is and is not allowed.
'There remains no clear guidance on how clubs are expected to manage live broadcast content, though we note the panel acknowledged that the club's internal editorial guidelines may serve as a constructive step for others going forward.
'To be clear, we referenced these other examples not to suggest they should have resulted in sanctions, but to highlight the clear inconsistency in how similar incidents have been handled.
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'Club media channels are, by nature, passionate and partisan. Informal, tongue-in-cheek and emotional commentary comes with the territory, especially in live settings.
'But, in choosing to pursue this case, the Scottish FA has opened the door to closer scrutiny of how similar situations are handled going forward. If this is now the standard, they will be watched closely to ensure it is applied across the board, consistently, without exception and without favour.'
Gers were served a notice of complaint from the Hampden hierarchy after Brown's lashed out with his on-air tirade.
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Raskin's effort in the 2-2 last day n draw clearly looked over the line but referee Walsh waved play on.
Hibs went up the pitch and scored, prompting Rangers TV co-commentator Brown to question the integrity of the decision.
When offered the chance to clarify the comments, Brown stood by them.
The SFA's own KMI panel has since agreed that Raskin's goal should have stood in Edinburgh, despite referee chief Willie Collum backing Walsh's call not to award it.