Rangers ‘astonished’ as SFA say correct decision made on Morelos strike

Rangers say they are “astonished” after the SFA insisted the referee made the right decision to chop off an Alfredo Morelos strike in their Old Firm defeat to Celtic.

In a statement released on Monday they also condemned the abuse of Kevin Clancy after the official was targeted by threats and had his personal details posted online.

But they are not happy with the explanation of the decision made on Saturday when Morelos thought he had given them the lead at Celtic Park.

The Colombian forward put the ball into Joe Hart’s net with the game, which the Hoops won 3-2, still at 0-0 on Saturday.

But the goal was ruled out for a push on Alistair Johnston in the build up to the incident.

After the game the Ibrox club wrote to the governing body asking for an explanation to why the goal never counted and on Monday they received an answer.

The Rangers statement said: “Firstly, Rangers condemns in the strongest terms any abuse of match officials. We are all passionate about our game, but targeted, personal abuse of referees cannot be tolerated.

“The club can confirm the Scottish FA has responded with regards to the disallowed Alfredo Morelos goal, with the response claiming the correct decision was taken. The club is astonished by this, especially given most observers, including former referees and former players, could see no issue with the goal standing.

“This comes following a weekend in England where PGMOL have offered an apology to Brighton and Hove Albion for the non-award of a penalty in their match with Tottenham Hotspur, alongside a pledge to review the incident.

“While an apology does not alter the outcome of a match, such responsibility and openness would be welcome in Scotland.”

The SFA revealed earlier on Monday that he have contacted the police to report abuse targeting Clancy and his family.