Celtic handed fresh Rangers red card verdict as ex-referee tears apart James Penrice ‘banter’

Former SFA referee Steve Conroy believes Rangers defender James Penrice was fortunate to escape with only a yellow card following his clash with Celtic winger Haissem Hassan.

Penrice was booked by referee Nick Walsh during Rangers’ convincing 3-0 Premier Sports Cup victory over Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday.

The match was largely controlled by McInnes’ side, although Walsh was required to make two significant VAR interventions. The most heated moment arrived with around 12 minutes of normal time remaining.

Hassan slid in attempting to win the ball after a tussle with Dujon Sterling inside the Rangers penalty area. Penrice then struck the ball directly into the Celtic winger’s face, sparking an angry confrontation between players from both sides.

Hassan and Penrice were both shown yellow cards, while Sterling escaped punishment as the situation threatened to escalate.

However, Conroy believes the Rangers left-back should have been sent off for his actions. Speaking on The Ref’s Viewpodcast, the former official argued that deliberately blasting the ball into Hassan’s face warranted a straight red.

Conroy said he would have dismissed Penrice had he been the referee, insisting there was no justification for treating the incident as part of the derby’s usual “happy banter.”

Podcast host Scott McPike admitted he enjoyed the fiery nature of the confrontation but agreed that Penrice had been fortunate not to receive a red card.

Conroy maintained that his assessment was based purely on the incident rather than any desire to dampen the intensity of the Old Firm.

He added that Rangers and Celtic encounters have often lacked the edge they once had, using former Celtic captain Scott Brown as an example of how he would have applied the same standard regardless of which team was involved.