Scott Brown claimed referee Willie Collum crumbled under a “pressure decision” when he did not send off Fabio Silva in Rangers’ 2-0 win over cinch Championship side Ayr at Ibrox.
The Portuguese forward had been booked in the first half of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup last-16 tie where the home side took the lead after 10 minutes through a Borna Barisic strike which deflected in off Roy Syla, when he tackled George Granger after the break.
Collum resisted the temptation to flash a second yellow before he soon cautioned Brown for complaining – and then Silva, on loan from Wolves, netted the second after 76 minutes to take the Light Blues into the quarter-final draw.
Gers boss Philippe Clement had on Friday backed Collum despite Rangers reportedly asking the Scottish Football Association not to appoint the official to any of their games going forward after his part as the VAR official in a contentious non-penalty decision which went against them in their Old Firm derby defeat at the end of the year.
It was Collum’s first involvement with Rangers since and former Celtic captain Brown was unimpressed.
The Somerset Park boss said: “The second goal comes from a man who probably shouldn’t be on the park.
“It was a big decision, a pressure decision and it probably was not the right decision.
“I knew he was never going to get sent off, that it was never going to be a red card. I think if it had been the other way around it could have been.
“It was the pressure, coming into these big occasions. Some people can deal with it, some people can’t.
“Willie is used to giving me yellow cards – I think he has missed me.”
Asked if he had quizzed Collum about Silva’s challenge, Brown said: “There is no point, it doesn’t change anything. I was disappointed at the time and then he goes on and scores the goal.
“So it is a harsh lesson but for me it is more about us and how we performed.
“A young team having a belief, because a lot of Premiership teams will just come here and defend but we knew we had to try and play.
“We don’t have that huge target man so we had to try and play. We had to move the ball really well, we had a shape and structure. We were fine throughout the whole game. I never felt we would lose that many goals.”
Clement disagreed with Brown’s assessment of Silva’s tackle.
He said: “No, he got a kick on his leg in that action. You need to look closely at the images.
“He showed me there were studs (marks) on the top of his leg.”
Clement took the opportunity to make seven changes to his side.
Mohamed Diomande, the Ivorian midfielder signed from Danish Superliga club Nordsjaelland and Colombian winger Oscar Cortes – on loan from Lens – were handed were handed their first starts, with the latter particularly impresssive in the hour he played.
Clement spoke about a “positive evening” in his assessment.
He said: “After three minutes we could have scored two goals. In football you also need a little bit of luck and that was not on our side today in the finishing, and all respect also to our opponents, who gave their lives to stop the goals, also in the second half by making saves on the goal line.
“It is a positive evening. The other positive thing is to play that kind of game for so many fans, that is maybe the most positive thing of the evening. In that way, I would have wished to give the fans more goals.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Watch and remember the kids Arsenal close to completing deal for Viktor Gyokeres The only way to stop this Chelsea. lol Hahahahah Chelsea vs PSG This Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss)...
Man Utd continue to push for Bryan Mbeumo's signitureManchester United's transfer dealings have hit a speed bump, with Matheus Cunha being their only significant summer acquisition after his £60million move from Wolves earlier in the season.Their sights are now set on Bryan Mbeumo, who has been turning heads at Brentford, but two offers for the forward have been knocked back and a third bid i...
United head coach Ruben Amorim wants a new centre forward before the start of the seasonManchester United have been told to complete a summer transfer 'immediately'.United are in the market for a new centre forward, with it still unknown whether Ruben Amorim wishes to stick with Rasmus Hojlund.Hojlund has made it clear in recent weeks that he wants to stay and fight for his future at Old Trafford,...
Morgan Gibbs-White is at the centre of a battle between Nottingham Forest and TottenhamTottenham Hotspur remain hopeful of securing a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White, despite a furious row with Nottingham Forest over allegations that the London club illegally approached the player.Spurs seemed set to sign the 25-year-old after activating his £60million release clause and arranging a medical for t...
Petrovic set to undergo Bournemouth medical🚨🍒 Djordje Petrović will undergo medical at Bournemouth on Monday ahead of £25m deal from Chelsea. pic.twitter.com/7gtwkWXTEZ— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 13, 2025Is £20m too much for USMNT star Sargent? PL suitors put offUSMNT star Josh Sargent continues to attract Premier League interest, but Norwich's £20 million ($27m) ...
Man United ace Alejandro Garnacho rejects Cristiano Ronaldo reunionMan United winger Alejandro Garnacho has reportedly rejected the chance to join up with former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.The 21-year-old is one of several Man United attackers that are hoping to leave the club after their worst ever Premier League campaign.According to the Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Garnacho has r...
Man City ace James McAtee to visit Eintracht FrankfurtMan City playmaker James McAtee will reportedly visit Eintracht Frankfurt as he edges closer to a move away from the Premier League.The 22-year-old has been deemed surplus to requirements by Man City despite some impressive performances in limited chances last season.According to Sky Germany, he could be taking the route of heading to the Bunde...
Xabi Alonso sends warning to Real Madrid stars after PSG thrashingReal Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has reported warned his squad of superstars about their commitment after their 4-0 defeat to PSG at the FIFA Club World Cup.The Spanish giants were well and truly dismantled by PSG in their Club World Cup semi-final, reportedly leaving Alonso furious.According to Marca, the new manager has told his pl...
Bayern Munich turn to Leandro Trossard as nightmare window continuesBayern Munich have reportedly turned to Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard as a back up plan should they fail to sign Liverpool's Luis Diaz.The German giants have had a frustrating summer window so far, missing out on Nico Williams, Jamie Gittens, and Florian Wirtz.Bayern’s new priority target is Liverpool winger Luis Diaz, alt...
Arsenal reach agreement with Sporting for Viktor GyokeresArsenal's move for Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres has taken yet another step closer after the two clubs agreed to a fee.In what has arguably been the most dramatic transfer saga of the summer so far, Arsenal have finally reached an agreement with Sporting for the signing of Gyokeres, 27.According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the...
- 1 FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Fixture schedule, group standings, knockout round, tickets, format & everything you need to know
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Bayern ready to rival Arsenal for Eberechi Eze and target move for Chelsea flop after losing Jamal Musiala to injury
- 4 Spurs get huge lift in Morgan Gibbs-White row
- 5 Marcus Rashford trains alone after returning to Man Utd for pre-season despite being given extra time off by Ruben Amorim to find new club
- 6 DAZN sports host nearly suffers wardrobe malfunction at CWC
- 7 Everton sign Villarreal striker Barry: The fans here are like crazy people, I like this!
- 8 Bayern Munich lay out terms for Luis Diaz
- 9 Meet Christian Norgaard's gorgeous wife
- 10 Chelsea's wage offer to Jadon Sancho revealed