Kevin Thelwell rages at SFA as Rangers chief warns Trusty red card snub has set 'dangerous precedent'

The VAR audio from the incident was released on Friday night followed by a defence from refereeing chief Willie Collum

Rangers sporting director Kevin Thelwell has warned the SFA that the decision not to send Celtic’s Auston Trusty in the Premier Sports Cup semi final has set a "dangerous precedent".

The USA international was shown a yellow card by referee Nick Walsh for catching the Jack Butland late in the first half on the derby showdown.

The VAR team would back up the whistler but after the game Rangers quickly issued a statement voicing their anger and held a summit with Hampden chiefs.

Head of refereeing operations Willie Collum publicly declared on Friday night that he can "support" the call - confirming the story Record Sport revealed earlier this week that the supremo backed the refereeing team.

The VAR audio from the flashpoint was revealed alongside Collum's explanation - but just hours later the Ibrox chief has revealed the club are seeking a second summit with Scottish football supremos.

Thelwell has pledged the Light Blues will pursue a "greater quality and a greater standard of refereeing" with another dossier of analysis prepared for further talks.

Speaking to Rangers TV ahead of an exclusive interview that will be released on Saturday, Thelwell said: “It’s clear that everybody associated with Rangers Football Club is very, very frustrated with that fixture [the Premier Sports Cup semi-final] in particular.

"I think it's well known that we were disappointed with some of the consistency of the refereeing on that day, and we've had some strong conversations with the SFA about some of those inconsistencies and some of those decisions.

"Following that meeting, I think it's probably also clear to say that, whilst we agreed with some of the points that were made during the conversations, we still fundamentally disagree with some of the points that were made, in particular the Auston Trusty incident.

“It's clear from our side that is a red card. I think we all feel like it's a dangerous precedent to be saying that striking somebody on the head is nothing short of a red card.

"So, from our perspective, we want to have another conversation with the SFA.

“We’ve been doing some analysis of our own over a much wider period and want to talk to them again about some of that detail for one reason, and one reason only, and that is, we want greater consistency.

“We want a greater quality and a greater standard of refereeing, and we want the focus to be on the football and not on the decisions.

"So that's a conversation to be had with the SFA in due course, once we've had a chance to present them with some more analysis.”

Defending the decision, Collum said: "We can support the yellow card here in terms of the criteria in the laws of the game.

"It's important to say that there's a subjective element to this decision. And we fully respect people's opinions if they think that's a red card.

"But here, the on-field communication is very clear from the referee.

"The referee comes to the conclusion that this is a reckless action, rather than anything more serious. The VAR look at the images, and they don't see anything other than that."

Collum then turned to the explanation for violent conduct, adding: "We don't think this is a challenge for the ball.

"This falls under violent conduct. What the referee and the VAR team then have to consider: excessive force, brutality.

"The referee comes to the conclusion that there's not enough force and not enough brutality for him, and the contact is negligible. So, that's why a yellow card is reached for reckless."

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