IT’S NOT FAIR!
Rangers left seething by SFA’s call to punish Alves
RANGERS last night slammed the SFA decision to punish Bruno Alves as ‘devoid of credibility and balance’ after Ryan Bowman escaped any action for the aerial challenge that broke Fabio Cardoso’s nose.
The Ibrox club reacted with incredulity to Alves being the only player cited by compliance officer Tony McGlennan in the wake of Sunday’s ill-tempered Betfred Cup semi-final defeat to Motherwell.
Rangers will contest the two-match ban offered to the Portuguese centre-back for kicking out at Louis Moult — a clash that saw the Motherwell striker booked — and
have effectively accused the governing body of double standards.
Sportsmail understands that Bowman’s elbow on Cardoso was viewed by McGlennan as reckless conduct — rather than violent conduct — and therefore not applicable for retrospective action. The fall-out from the Hampden clash is set to continue with action against both managers for being sent to the stand by referee Steven McLean following a touchline altercation. Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson faces a disciplinary hearing — at a date yet to be confirmed — which could see him barred from the technical area for the Betfred Cup final against Celtic on November 26. Robinson previously incurred a one-match ban in 2015 and a three-match suspension in 2016. Ibrox counterpart Pedro Caixinha is set to be offered a one-game ban for a first offence. If accepted, he would sit in the stand for tonight’s Premiership meeting against Kilmarnock at Ibrox. Alves will, however, be available for that game after Rangers went to war over both the SFA’s disciplinary procedures and the handling of Sunday’s game. ‘Rangers are shocked by this decision,’ said a club spokesperson of the Alves charge. ‘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 that they reach. 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 in Sunday’s
game? If that is the case, then it is clear Rangers are being assessed to a different standard from others in the Scottish game.’ The two-game ban for Alves is now set to be considered at a fast-track tribunal hearing on Thursday, but Rangers have called for the entire process to be changed. ‘We believe the current system for referring matters to disciplinary tribunals requires radical overhaul,’ continued the spokesperson. ‘It is too easy for those with agendas to pick over and highlight minor incidents in a game, whilst ignoring the reality of what took place during the game as a whole. ‘We do not know and will not be told who referred this matter, nor what motivated them. ‘So much seems to turn on whether or not a referee was looking at an incident rather than on assessing what actually occurred. Incidents missed by a referee are judged to a far harsher standard than those observed by an official but called wrongly. ‘Rangers share a common goal to all with the Scottish game at heart. We want to see good football. Referees have a crucial role to play in achieving that. We do not believe the current referral procedure assists them or benefits the Scottish game.’ Speaking earlier yesterday, Motherwell manager Robinson issued a vigorous defence of Bowman and insisted his team should not be branded ‘dirty’. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers had joined Caixinha in questioning some of the challenges on Sunday. ‘I have too much respect for Brendan to get involved in a tit-for-tat with him and his players,’ said Robinson, whose team take on Dundee at Dens Park tonight. ‘What I will say is that Ryan Bowman has played 46 times for Motherwell and been booked three times. He’s not a dirty player. In terms of our team, seven in the Premiership have committed more fouls than us. ‘Ryan has come in this morning absolutely distraught. He is a boy on buttons, trying to make his way in the game. ‘He is clumsy. He gives absolutely everything. But if you have only been booked nine times in a five-year period, you can’t be a dirty player.’ Robinson bit back at Caixinha after the Rangers manager claimed Motherwell wouldn’t end the final with 11 men on the field. ‘Pedro has made a comment, but he doesn’t really have to concern himself with the final,’ added the Northern Irishman. ‘He’s not involved, so it doesn’t matter to him if we have 11 players on the pitch or not. ‘But if I compare Motherwell to Rangers — because we just beat them and are close in the league — we have committed 115 fouls and they have committed 112. There isn’t a lot of difference.’