Rangers have called for transparency from the Scottish FA and questioned why VAR official Willie Collum refused to award them a penalty during the Old Firm defeat to Celtic.

Philippe Clement's side were denied a spot-kick when Alastair Johnston clearly punched the ball out of play while under pressure from Abdallah Sima late in the first half.

The match was restarted with a goal kick from Celtic keeper Joe Hart and no offside decision was made clear to those in the stadium or watching on television until the VAR image was presented several minutes later.

The Rangers Review revealed on Saturday evening that the club had asked SFA chiefs to release the audio from the decision making process between Collum and referee Nick Walsh.

But that has not been forthcoming over the last 24 hours and further questions have now been raised about how the decision was reached and communicated.

A Rangers spokesperson said: “Despite repeated Rangers FC requests, the Scottish FA have so far failed to disclose the VAR audio to allow the club to understand the process around the non-award of a penalty in the first half of yesterday’s Old Firm match.

“Rangers officials stand ready to meet in-person or virtually with the Scottish FA at any time to hear and discuss the audio. However, the Scottish FA are refusing to both share the VAR audio and meet until at least Wednesday, five days after the Old Firm match and after the next round of Scottish Premiership fixtures. This is clearly unacceptable and heightens Rangers’ concerns over the lack of transparency, for which the need is urgent.

“Rangers have learned no penalty was awarded as the VAR official, Willie Collum, concluded a handball offence had not occurred in the first half. While the club and most observers are astonished by this 'professional' view, we remain perplexed and concerned about the Scottish FA's motivations for sharing an offside image with broadcasters during the second half, when this was not the original reason why the penalty was not awarded. 

“England’s Premier League and other leading European Leagues operate on a ‘nothing to hide’ basis, where open communication and full transparency are available to clubs and the public on contentious VAR calls in a timely manner. 

“On a weekend where not only Rangers but also fellow Scottish FA member clubs have major questions over potentially match-changing incidents, our governing body would do well to heed that same mantra."