Kevin Clancy backed after Rangers penalty blast vs Motherwell as verdict given over Hibs-Hearts flashpoints
Rangers head coach Danny Rohl was frustrated not to be awarded a penalty in the weekend defeat to Motherwell.
Rangers were right not to be awarded a penalty in their 3-2 defeat to Motherwell at the weekend, according to former English Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher.
Head coach Danny Rohl was left frustrated with match official Kevin Clancy after the game at Ibrox on Sunday, claiming Rangers should have been awarded a penalty for a foul on Djeidi Gassama in the first half of the game.
The German boss saw his side climb back from two-nil down at the break, only for Emmanuel Longelo to fire home a last-minute winner via a deflected right-foot shot. However, Rohl believes his side should have been given a chance to get back into the game earlier when Gassama was tripped by Lukas Fadinger on the edge of the area shortly before the half-time whistle.
“The foul on Gassama is for me clearly on the line,” said Rohl after the game. “His foot is inside [the box] but they didn’t look. Maybe I’m wrong but please look back and you’ll see I’m right with this” he added. However, former referee Gallagher told Sky Sports’ that Clancy has no case to answer.
“The referee was really, really good wasn't he?” said Gallagher. “He's on top of it, and he points to where it happens. When you see the replay, it does actually happen where he points too - so he's done really, really well. You look and think the line belongs to the goalkeeper, so it's a penalty. Is it on the line? But when you look, the foul occurs just outside of it. Excellent.
“It's all about the point of contact. This is where the referee has done really well. If you look where he's moved to, he's got the most perfect position to make this judgement. What I really like is before anyone could moan at him, he's points to exactly where it happen. He's so decisive.”
Former England international and co-host, Jay Bothroyd, echoed Gallagher's sentiments, saying: “A great decision. Very good from the referee, he's seen that, and he's right on the spot. Obviously, it's a decisive decision as well. When you're in that situation as the attacker, you're trying to get your body in. It is a foul, there's no doubt, but it's outside of the box.”
The retired 68-year-old referee also shared his thoughts on the two red cards that Hibs were shown in their narrow 2-1 home defeat to rivals Hearts on Sunday. David Gray’s side were forced to play almost half the game with nine men at Easter Road after Raphael Sallinger was given a straight red card for handling outside of the box, before Felix Passlack was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence early in the second period.
“It was a great game to watch,” said Gallagher. “I felt for the referee, because he’s never ever going to spot this [Sallinger handling outside the area]. But the VAR can stop it, freeze frame it. His body’s actually inside the box, but he handles outside of the box. So the letter of the law is deliberate handball outside the box, so he gets sent off. The Hearts player is right on it, so he’s stopping him going through.”
As for Passlack’s foul on Hearts’ Beni Baningime three minutes into the second-half, Gallagher said: “Why would you do this on a yellow card? It’s a second yellow card.”
Bothroyd added: “The magnitude of the game, don’t do reckless challenges, but impose yourself on the game. It’s a derby. Get stuck in. But there, he’s on a yellow - and you could even give that as a straight red. Because his studs are up and he’s caught him on his thigh. It’s poor from the player.”
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