NafisaRangers’ controversial defeat to Hibernian at Ibrox has continued to generate furious debate, with supporters still struggling to understand how one of the game’s biggest decisions was allowed to stand.
What initially looked like another frustrating afternoon for Derek McInnes quickly turned into something much bigger, with the referee’s decision to award Hibs a first-half penalty becoming the centre of attention.
Rangers eventually lost the match 2-1 after conceding a dramatic late winner, but the controversy surrounding Don Robertson’s decision has refused to disappear.
Now, claims surrounding a potential replay have begun circulating, with supporters asking whether the Scottish Football Association could intervene following the disputed VAR incident.
However, there is currently no verified confirmation that the SFA has ordered Rangers vs Hibernian to be replayed, meaning any claims suggesting a new date has already been officially announced should be treated with caution.
That has not stopped the debate from gathering serious momentum.
The incident happened during the first half when Vanja Dragojevic became involved in a physical battle with Hibernian defender Jason Kerr inside the Rangers penalty area.
Initially, Robertson allowed play to continue.
There appeared to be little reaction from the Hibernian players at the time, with no immediate indication that the incident was going to become a major talking point.
Then VAR intervened.
Robertson was sent to the pitch-side monitor, and after reviewing the footage, he decided that Dragojevic had committed a foul.
The referee pointed to the spot and showed the Rangers midfielder a yellow card.
Josh Campbell made no mistake from the penalty spot, giving Hibs a 1-0 lead and leaving the Ibrox crowd absolutely furious.
Rangers eventually recovered to equalise through a Miguel Chaiwa own goal, but the home side could not complete the comeback.
Deep into stoppage time, Callum Wright’s deflected effort found the net to give Hibernian a remarkable 2-1 victory.
Yet even after the final whistle, much of the discussion remained focused on the penalty.
Former players and pundits questioned whether there had been enough contact to justify awarding a spot-kick, particularly given that both Dragojevic and Kerr appeared to be involved in the physical battle.
Former FIFA referee Keith Hackett was among those to provide a more measured assessment, explaining that it was difficult to determine which player was actually responsible for the contact.
“Both players are holding onto each other so the judgment of an offence could have gone either way,” Hackett said.
That has become one of the key arguments surrounding the incident.
If both players were grappling with each other, Rangers supporters have questioned why only the Rangers player was punished.
Michael Stewart was also left stunned by the decision when it happened, arguing that there was insufficient reason for VAR to become involved.
Alan Hutton described the call as “soft”, while Tony Docherty similarly questioned whether the officials had become too involved in what appeared to be a normal penalty-box tussle.
Andy Halliday also acknowledged that Dragojevic had initiated some of the contact but insisted that Kerr was involved too.
Scott Brown offered a particularly interesting assessment, criticising Dragojevic’s positioning but still admitting that he did not believe the incident should have resulted in a penalty.
All of that has inevitably fuelled the anger among Rangers supporters.
Some fans have gone even further, demanding answers from the Scottish FA and questioning whether Robertson should face any form of punishment.
But there is a crucial difference between the SFA reviewing a refereeing performance and ordering a match to be replayed.
A controversial decision does not automatically result in a replay, and there has been no verified announcement confirming that the Rangers-Hibernian fixture will be played again.
For now, the 2-1 result stands.
That will come as a bitter pill to swallow for Rangers, particularly given the manner in which the match ended.
McInnes’ side were already under pressure after failing to win their opening league fixture and suffering defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok in Europe.
The Hibs match was supposed to provide the perfect opportunity to put that difficult start behind them.
Instead, Rangers suffered another setback.
There were also concerns surrounding Youssef Chermiti after the striker was stretchered off during the first half.
The Portuguese forward had been the subject of a huge bid from Galatasaray, which Rangers rejected, and McInnes admitted after the match that the club were delighted to keep the striker.
His injury therefore created another major concern for the Rangers boss.
All of this has combined to make an already frustrating afternoon feel considerably worse.
The controversy over Robertson’s penalty has now become another chapter in a difficult beginning for McInnes, while the manager continues to demand reinforcements before the transfer window closes.
Rangers need more attacking quality, more defensive stability and, above all, results.
Whether the SFA decides to review Robertson’s performance remains something to watch, but Rangers cannot afford to wait for outside intervention to solve their problems.
The club’s supporters will understandably continue to debate the penalty.
They will continue to question the VAR intervention.
And they will certainly continue to ask whether Robertson got the biggest decision of the match wrong.
But unless the Scottish FA officially confirms otherwise, there is currently no basis for claiming that Rangers vs Hibernian has been ordered to be replayed.
For now, the defeat stands.
The controversy remains.
And the pressure on Derek McInnes is only getting bigger.
Nafisa
