Rangers’ stand-in captain Nico Raskin found himself at the centre of controversy during the Glasgow Derby, clashing with Celtic skipper Callum McGregor after the half-time whistle.
The pair were seen grabbing each other by the shirt as tempers flared, prompting referee Don Robertson to intervene.
As the whistle blew for the interval, tensions boiled over between the rival midfielders.
At the time, Rangers were 1-0 up and Celtic were looking to head down the tunnel and regroup for the second half.
Raskin, who was wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of James Tavernier, grabbed McGregor by the shirt and pushed his chest. McGregor responded in kind, though he appeared to remain composed, laughing off the altercation while also holding onto Raskin’s shirt.
Robertson quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation, ultimately booking Raskin for his role in the scuffle. However, McGregor, who was already on a yellow card, escaped further punishment.
Speaking after Rangers’ 3-0 victory, Raskin expressed his discontent with the referee’s decision: [PLZ Soccer]
“McGregor and me had some contact and the referee wanted to book us both, but then looked at him and remembered he had a yellow so it was unfair for me. If you book me, you have to book me. We’ve both done the same thing, so just weird.”
It will be interesting how the SFA react to the use of the word ‘unfair’, but it could simply just be a language barrier.
I’m sure people from all over Europe will be watching this incident closely and blowing up a certain manager’s phone.
