SFA clamp Rangers 'misleading comments' as John Brown 'corruption' claim row escalates
The SFA have fired back at Rangers after the Ibrox club raged at being hit with a fine over John Brown's controversial Rangers TV comments.
The Ibrox club were sanctioned with a £3,000 after former defender Brown accused Nick Walsh of 'corruption' on Rangers TV.
Brown lashed out at the decision by Walsh and his VAR assistants not to award Nicolas Raskin 's 'ghost goal' against Hibs, his comments 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'.
As part of their defence, Ibrox lawyers provided numerous examples of rival commentary teams stepping out of line while broadcasting on live games.
And the club, after being notified of the fine, raised concerns in a lengthy statement demanding an explanation.
But the SFA haven't backed down, today issuing a statement which reads: "We note Rangers' response to the determination of a recent independent Judicial Panel Tribunal.
"In the interests of accuracy, we wish to address some of the misleading comments contained therein:
"The sanction imposed by an independent panel was entirely in keeping with the application of the rules.
"The most recent and relevant example of a similar breach, the sanction imposed on Richard Foster of Motherwell FC for comments of a similar nature in the media, attests to that.
"Furthermore, to address the comments regarding 'rationale behind differing outcomes', we wish to point to the fact that investigations were undertaken in previous cases outlined and that the Compliance Officers of the time saw fit to issue a censure by way of warning letter for potential breaches deemed insufficiently serious to be progressed to a Notice of Complaint.
"This system of proportionality has been adopted since the inception of the Judicial Panel Protocol in 2011. Indeed, such discretion was exercised last season when the Compliance Officer wrote to the club to warn of the future conduct of players following matters involving Vaclav Cerny, Dujon Sterling and Mohamed Diomande.
"We also note that Rangers intend to contact the association to seek clarity on the Judicial Panel Protocol and its application. The club is, in fact, already represented on the JPP Working Group.
"We have requested written reasons from the panel chair involved in the tribunal and in the interests of transparency will publish in due course.
"JPP Rule 38 was introduced in response to the referee strike of 2010, when match officials campaigned for greater protection after enduring sustained personal criticism from clubs and fans. Ahead of a new season, we remind clubs of their responsibilities in this regard."
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