Keith Hackett delivers verdict on Rangers handball controversy as Neil McCann fumes

Neil McCann was left frustrated by a controversial moment during Kilmarnock’s 3-1 defeat to Rangers, but former referee Keith Hackett has backed the officials’ decision to allow Kevin Kelsy’s goal to stand.

Derek McInnes’ side returned to Scottish Premiership action on Saturday following the international break, looking to maintain the momentum gained from their recent victories over Celtic.

The Ibrox outfit made a positive start, with Ryan Naderi opening the scoring after 15 minutes before adding a second half an hour into the contest.

Kelsy then extended Rangers’ advantage, finishing past Calum Ferrie in an incident that sparked an angry reaction from the Kilmarnock manager.

Although the visitors managed to find the net late on, Rangers had already done enough to secure another three points.

However, it was the Venezuelan striker’s goal that became the main talking point after the final whistle, with McCann questioning whether the officials should have allowed it to stand.

Why Neil McCann was unhappy with Rangers’ second goal

Rangers had plenty of reasons to be satisfied with their performance, having created several opportunities and capitalised on mistakes from their opponents.

Nevertheless, McCann believed his side had been disadvantaged by the decision surrounding Kelsy’s goal.

The incident occurred when the Rangers forward went to ground as the ball arrived. As he attempted to get back to his feet, the ball appeared to make contact with his hand, raising questions over whether a handball offence had occurred in the build-up.

McCann was unconvinced by the decision to award the goal and made his frustration clear during his post-match press conference.

“We gifted Rangers three goals. I’ve got a real problem with the second one — I think it’s a handball,” the Kilmarnock boss said.

His comments placed the spotlight on referee Matthew MacDermid and the VAR team, with debate centring on whether there was sufficient evidence to overturn the on-field decision.

However, Hackett has offered a different interpretation of the incident, arguing that the available footage did not conclusively establish a deliberate handball.

Keith Hackett backs officials over Kevin Kelsy incident

The former FIFA referee believes the decision was difficult for the match officials, but maintains that there was not enough evidence to justify disallowing the goal.

Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News, Hackett explained why he supported the decision to let play continue.

“This is a tough call for the match officials. After reviewing this incident it is inconclusive that the Rangers player deliberately handled the ball,” Hackett said.

He also defended the referee’s approach, arguing that officials should not make decisions based on speculation when the available evidence does not establish an offence.

“The referee cannot guess and rightly allowed play to continue. VAR did not intervene because they were unable to determine that the referee had made a clear and obvious error,” he added.

Hackett concluded that allowing the goal to stand was the correct outcome.

“It is correct to let the goal stand.”

His assessment offers support for MacDermid and the VAR team, despite McCann’s strong objections.

While the Kilmarnock manager may remain unconvinced by the decision, Hackett’s explanation highlights the importance of having sufficient evidence before overturning an on-field ruling.

For Rangers, the controversy does little to diminish the significance of another league victory under McInnes. For Kilmarnock, however, the incident provides an additional source of frustration after a match in which McCann felt his side had contributed to its own downfall.

Ultimately, the goal was allowed to stand, and Hackett believes the officials were justified in reaching that conclusion.