Former PGMOL chief alleges that a player cheated during Rangers’ victory over St Mirren.

Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has delivered his verdict on the controversial penalty appeal that went against St Mirren during their defeat to Rangers at Ibrox on Wednesday night.

The match proved to be a difficult contest for Rangers, but Derek McInnes’ side eventually secured another important three points. Bojan Miovski became the hero late in the game when his clever chip found the net, ensuring the Light Blues continued their impressive run of form.

Rangers have now recorded four consecutive victories and have climbed into second place in the Scottish Premiership. However, the outcome of the game could have been very different had St Mirren been awarded a first-half penalty for an incident involving Ismael Kabia and Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez.

The Saints were understandably frustrated after leaving Ibrox empty-handed. Losing to a late goal was disappointing enough, but their frustration was increased by the belief that they should have been awarded a spot-kick earlier in the match.

The incident occurred around the 10-minute mark when Chris Mochrie sent a pass forward in the direction of Kabia. The Dutch winger then attempted to play the ball towards Nikolas Agrafiotis before going down following contact with Fernandez.

Referee Don Robertson immediately decided that the challenge did not warrant a penalty, and VAR agreed with the on-field decision. As a result, play continued and St Mirren were denied the opportunity to take an early lead from the spot.

However, former Rangers player Andy Halliday strongly disagreed with the decision when discussing the incident on BBC Sportscene. Halliday believed there was enough evidence to suggest that Fernandez was responsible for initiating the contact and argued that VAR should have intervened.

Halliday described the decision as one that should have been obvious, insisting that St Mirren deserved a penalty.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that it isn’t Kabia who initiates contact here, it’s Fernandez and you can see that little buckle of the ankle. VAR has got to pick it up. I think St Mirren should have had a penalty kick.”

His assessment reflected the frustration felt by those connected with St Mirren, particularly given how the match eventually ended. Had the Saints been awarded the penalty and converted it, the complexion of the game could potentially have changed significantly.

However, Hackett has offered a completely different interpretation of the incident.

The former Premier League referee and ex-head of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited believes Robertson made the correct decision by refusing to award the penalty. In fact, Hackett went even further by suggesting that Kabia should have been punished for simulation.

Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News, Hackett backed the referee’s judgement and explained why he believed VAR was right not to become involved.

“The referee is in a great position to judge no penalty kick when the St Mirren player went to ground. Frankly he should have received a yellow card for an act of simulation.”

Hackett therefore believes there was no reason for VAR to overturn Robertson’s original decision. In his view, the referee was well placed to assess the situation and correctly determined that the contact did not constitute a foul worthy of a penalty.

“The referee made the correct call and, because of that, VAR did not intervene. Correct decision by the match officials.”

That assessment is likely to generate debate, particularly among St Mirren supporters who felt their team had a legitimate claim for a spot-kick.

The contrast between Hackett’s view and Halliday’s is especially notable. While Halliday believed the contact from Fernandez was enough to justify a penalty and criticised VAR for failing to intervene, Hackett has argued that the responsibility lay with Kabia and that the winger should arguably have received a booking instead.

Ultimately, the disagreement over the incident will not alter the result. St Mirren were unable to take advantage of their other opportunities at Ibrox, while Rangers remained in the contest until Miovski produced the decisive moment late on.

For McInnes, the victory represents another positive step as Rangers continue to build momentum in the Scottish Premiership. Four straight wins have transformed the mood around Ibrox following a difficult beginning to the campaign, and the Light Blues now find themselves second in the table.

For St Mirren, meanwhile, the penalty controversy will only add to the disappointment of a narrow defeat. The Saints may feel that the outcome could have been different had Robertson pointed to the spot during the opening stages.

Yet Hackett’s intervention provides strong support for the officials. Having assessed the incident from a referee’s perspective, he believes Robertson was correctly positioned to make the call and that VAR was right to leave the decision untouched.

The controversy is therefore likely to continue dividing opinion between the two sides. Halliday believes St Mirren were denied a clear penalty, while Hackett insists the referee got it right and Kabia was guilty of simulation.

Whatever the competing opinions, Rangers ultimately left Ibrox with another victory, while St Mirren were left wondering what might have happened if their early penalty appeal had been successful.