Keown: 'Serious questions' over Ian Maxwell after Rangers v Celtic controversy

Gary Keown has blasted Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell for his lackadaisical reaction to the Rangers and Celtic controversy in the Scottish League Cup final.

The Gers were denied a potentially match-winning spot-kick at Hampden Park on Sunday [15 December] after VAR officials Alan Muir and Frank O’Connor failed to act after Liam Scales brought down Vaclav Cerny on the edge of the penalty area.

Rangers ironically lost the cup final in the resulting penalty shootout, and while SFA chief Willie Collum admitted the penalty should have been awarded, Keown raised “serious questions” towards Maxwell in the aftermath of the controversy for the Scottish Daily Mail on Sunday [22 December, pg 85].

Writing: “THE behaviour of Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell this week really does raise more serious questions than ever over his suitability for office.

“What was he thinking about when writing off a clear penalty being missed by VAR in a national cup final as ‘human nature’, nothing to get in a flap about?

“He made some comments about 20 fans in a room coming up with 25 opinions. Jeezy peeps. This is not about 20 punters in a room. It’s about three Grade One officials in a video suite being unable to see that Liam Scales pulling Vaclav Cerny’s jumper inside the penalty area is a spot-kick.

“Maxwell, of course, is the guy who introduced VAR by saying it was going to be a nightmare. He also told us Hampden could end up looking like Stuttgart’s Mercedes-Benz Arena. And that’s just the start.

“In reality, he just comes across as a former Patrick Thistle general manager who can barely believe how lucky he is to be earning six figures a year. Much like the rest of us.”

Rangers must move on from Celtic cup final drama

The Gers can hold their heads high – they were heavy underdogs heading into the cup final against Celtic, and not only did they hold their own, but they should have lifted the trophy at Hampden Park.

Muir and O’Connor were removed from this weekend’s action in a blatant admission of guilt as it gets, but there is no possible way to reverse the result.

There is no use dwelling on what cannot be changed, and after returning to winning ways with a 1-0 win against Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday [21 December], Philippe Clement cannot afford to become distracted by ifs, buts and maybes.

Indeed, Maxwell should be questioned for his approach to the controversy, and he will undoubtedly face the music for one of the biggest officiating mistakes in recent history.

All with two eyes and a nose could see that Scales got away with it at Hampden Park, and Celtic should have been the ones watching on as their Glaswegian rivals lifted the trophy aloft, but there are still plenty of positives for Clement to take away from the clash.

Rangers went toe-to-toe with the current league leaders and thrived, and with an opportunity to seek revenge at Ibrox on 2 January, Clement knows exactly what he needs to do to cut the gap to Celtic at the top of the SPFL to a more manageable eight points.

In other Rangers news, Lawrence Shankland sent a two-word message to one Gers star amid transfer speculation.

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