GERS FURY OVER SEMI DECISIONS

A FURIOUS war of words erupted last night after Rangers’ Bruno Alves was the only player disciplined from the controversial Betfred Cup semi-final – and boss Pedro Caixinha was hit with a one-game dugout ban.

SFA compliance officer Tony Mcglennan adjudged Ryan Bowman’s elbow on Fabio Cardoso was not violent conduct and as a result he will not be dealt with retrospectively.

Well’s Louis Moult will be cleared to play in next month’s final after he dodged a ban for aiming a kick at Alves (inset) in the same flashpoint that lands the Gers man in the dock.

An Ibrox spokesman said: “Rangers are shocked by this decision. In the minds of all fair-minded followers of football it will be seen as devoid of credibility and balance.”

“Rangers are not seeking to make excuses for losing the match. Motherwell played to the referee’s whistle. That is their right but there were many aspects of the match which cause concern, both for player safety and the way in which we want to encourage players to play the game.

“We do not seek to personalise our criticism. The officials have to be respected, even where we might dispute the decisions. We do however have several players injured after the game – one seriously. Yet this decision has singled out only one player – a Rangers player – for punishment.

“We find this inexplicable. Are we being asked to believe just one player was guilty of violent conduct? If that is the case then it’s clear Rangers are being assessed to a different standard from others in the Scottish game.”

Alves is free to face Kilmarnock tonight before facing a hearing at Hampden tomorrow.