Former referee Keith Hackett clarifies Rangers offside drama that left BBC pundits puzzled

Keith Hackett has weighed in on a controversial refereeing moment during Rangers’ narrow victory over Motherwell, an incident that left players, supporters and even BBC Sportsound pundits struggling to understand what had happened.

Rangers edged out Motherwell 1-0 at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon, a result that lifted Philippe Clement’s side above their opponents in the league table. Goalkeeper Jack Butland played a crucial role in securing the three points, producing a series of important saves to preserve a clean sheet. The decisive goal eventually arrived through Thelo Aasgaard, but only after a moment of confusion and frustration when Nico Raskin saw what he thought was the opening goal ruled out.

The flashpoint came early in the second half. Djeidi Gassama broke down the flank and pulled the ball back into the penalty area, where Raskin arrived to calmly slot the ball into what appeared to be an almost unguarded net. Rangers players wheeled away in celebration, assuming they had taken the lead. However, their joy was short-lived.

Referee David Dickinson halted proceedings after receiving advice from his assistant, and the goal was disallowed. Initially, it was unclear what the issue was. There had been no obvious offside flag at the moment the ball crossed the line, and the delay in the decision only added to the confusion both inside the stadium and among those watching and listening at home.

As the situation unfolded, it emerged that Youssef Chermiti was the player deemed to be offside. At the moment Raskin struck the ball, the Portuguese forward was positioned beyond the last Motherwell defender and close to goalkeeper Calum Ward. While Chermiti did not touch the ball, officials judged that he interfered with play by obstructing the goalkeeper’s movement and line of sight.

That interpretation was far from immediately obvious, particularly without the benefit of replays. On BBC Radio Scotland, former Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson and ex-Motherwell boss Stuart McCall were audibly baffled as they tried to work out why the goal had been chalked off.

Thomson initially questioned whether an offside was even possible given the nature of the pass. “It was definitely a cut-back, so if it gets cut back you cannot be offside,” he said. “I just wonder if the ball’s gone out of play, which I don’t know why the linesman would be flagging — he’s a long, long way away. I don’t see how he could tell.”

McCall echoed the confusion, pointing out that Chermiti himself appeared unsure why the decision had gone against Rangers. “Chermiti’s asking, ‘Was it me that was offside?’ but as Kevin says, it was a cut back,” he said.

As the discussion continued, Thomson began to piece together what the officials might have seen. He suggested the issue could be Chermiti’s position in front of the goalkeeper at the moment of the shot. “Is it obstruction of the keeper when Raskin hits it?” he wondered. “It might be that Chermiti is standing in an offside position and interfering.”

When the decision was finally confirmed, it was greeted by loud boos from the Ibrox crowd. Thomson’s reaction summed up the sense of disbelief: “Wow.” McCall remained unconvinced without seeing the footage, insisting that it must have been “a clear offside” to justify such a call, even though it looked like a straightforward cut-back from his vantage point.

Thomson also noted the lack of reaction from Motherwell players. “I never really seen any Motherwell players protest it or even ask for it,” he added, highlighting how unexpected the ruling seemed in real time.

However, former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee Keith Hackett was in no doubt about the correctness of the decision. After reviewing the incident, Hackett explained that the officials had applied the laws of the game accurately.

“The decision to disallow the goal for offside was the correct decision,” Hackett stated. “Chermiti was clearly in an offside position and correctly judged to be interfering with an opponent.”

From Hackett’s perspective, Chermiti’s proximity to goalkeeper Calum Ward was decisive. Even though the striker did not make contact with the ball, his position prevented the goalkeeper from moving freely across his line and attempting a save. Under the laws of the game, a player in an offside position who obstructs or distracts an opponent is considered to be actively involved in play.

Once television replays became available, the call appeared far more straightforward than it had seemed in the moment. That likely explains why the BBC pundits, working without immediate access to video footage, found the decision so perplexing.

The incident also shone an unwelcome spotlight on Chermiti’s difficult spell at Rangers. It was already something of a surprise to see him handed a start ahead of Bojan Miovski, who has recently found some form in front of goal. Chermiti, signed for a significant fee from Everton, has struggled to make a consistent impact since arriving in Glasgow.

Against Motherwell, the Portuguese forward showed some encouraging touches early on but again failed to pose a serious goal threat. His most notable contribution ended up being his role in the disallowed goal — not by scoring or assisting, but by inadvertently blocking his own team’s opener.

That moment only added to the sense of frustration surrounding his season. Chermiti has scored just twice, and one of those goals came too late to influence the outcome of last week’s defeat at Tynecastle. For a striker brought in with high expectations, his return has been deeply underwhelming.

With Rangers reportedly open to letting him move on in January, the Motherwell match may prove symbolic of Chermiti’s short and unhappy stint at Ibrox. Instead of breaking the deadlock, he found himself the reason a goal was ruled out, reinforcing the narrative that little has gone right for him in a Rangers shirt.

In the end, Rangers still found a way to win, thanks to Aasgaard’s goal and Butland’s heroics. But the offside controversy ensured the match was remembered as much for the refereeing debate as for the result itself — a reminder of how a single moment, interpreted differently depending on perspective and access to replays, can dominate the narrative of a game.