Rangers have won their appeal over John Lundstram’s dismissal in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Hibernian.
The midfielder was shown a straight red card by referee Willie Collum, however, his punishment for a late tackle on Martin Boyle has now been reduced to a yellow card.
It means Lundstram will now be available for Rangers’ next two domestic matches – against Ross County on Saturday in the Scottish Premiership, and Tuesday’s League Cup tie against Queen of the South.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side led 2-1 at the time of the dismissal and were then reduced to nine men when Alfredo Morelos was also shown a straight red.
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Dermot Gallagher and Stephen Warnock analyse all the key decisions from Hibernian’s controversial draw with Rangers
Speaking on Ref Watch, former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher said: “You look at the referee’s view, you look at where he is… I understand why he’s given a red card on the day.
“I think, if he looks back at that, he will think that it wasn’t the tackle he thought.
“I think Lundstram was very, very unlucky and a yellow card would have been enough. I think it’s cynical, it’s not dangerous and it’s not serious foul play.”
Gio: VAR will help referee make the right decisions
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Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst believes VAR will help officials
When asked after the match about wanting VAR introduced as soon as possible, Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst told Sky Sports: “I’ve seen it before that it will help the ref make the right decisions and allow them to take their time in making them.
“Especially with the red cards.
“I think then you can see whether they are red cards or not because now once you make the decision you cannot overturn it.
“I am very pro VAR but until it’s here we cannot change that.
“I think it was harsh for John Lundstram to get a red card, I think it was a foul and a yellow card but he didn’t have any intention to hit him hard.”
‘We need consistency in decisions’
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Former Hibernian player Scott Allan analyses the key incidents from Saturday’s dramatic 2-2 draw between Hibernian and Rangers
Speaking on Sky Sports News, former Hibs midfielder Scott Allan said:
“There’s no question he (Lundstram) was hard done to.
“You see it in the Manchester City versus Newcastle match, once they check it on VAR it’s a yellow card.
“Jake Doyle-Hayes’ tackle was probably worse than John Lundstram’s. We’re just asking for a bit of consistency because these decisions do impact games.
“With Morelos, I think his reputation has cost him there. Some strikers will say he’s trying to feel for the guy to take the ball in, but he does swing out his arm and once again gives the referee a decision.
“If you have a reputation for maybe being that sort of player at times it can go against you.”