Rangers manager Phillipe Clement predicts scar left by controversial cup final defeat to Celtic will never heal

Phillippe Clement has predicted that the mental scar left by the manner of Rangers’ Premier Sports Cup final defeat to Celtic will never fully heal.

Liam Scales’ pull on Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny early in extra time was judged by referee John Beaton to have taken place outside the box, with a free-kick and a yellow card the only sanctions.

Television replays showed that the infringement continued just inside the area, though, and VAR officials should have instructed the whistler to award a penalty.

Having twice come from behind to make the score 3-3, Rangers went on to lose the final 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out.

The fallout from the Scales incident saw SFA head of referees Willie Collum publicly admit that a spot-kick should have been awarded after it emerged that the VAR team on the day — Alan Muir, Frank Connor and Andrew Dallas — were being left off this weekend’s match rota.

And while Clement was quick to praise Collum yesterday for his swift response, the Rangers manager believes the injustice will always linger.

Liam Scales’ pull on Vaclav Cerny in extra-time was deemed not be a penalty by officials

SFA head of refereeing Willie Collum has since admitted a spot-kick should have been given

‘This moment is going to stay a scar,’ he said. ‘I had a few moments like it in my career and this will stay one. But now I’m looking forward to making a bright future with the club and this team. All my focus, all my energy is into that.

‘I had a lot of questions and texts (about the incident). But not only me, also all the foreign players. I had also foreign players in Monaco who sent me messages about that incident. All over Europe they have been talking about it.’

Clement has urged his players to get their minds back on the job when they face Dundee at Ibrox today at the start of a festive schedule which will also see them take on St Mirren, Motherwell and Celtic.

Insisting his players cannot dwell on decisions, he understands why supporters do, adding: ‘That’s normal and it’s also really difficult to accept that. But for us it’s now really important to put that in the back of our heads, to stop thinking about it.

‘Tomorrow is a very important game against Dundee and that’s what I spoke to the players about this week.

‘You cannot keep on thinking about that, what happens. We need to focus now on what we’ve been doing and to do that in the game against Dundee and taking the three points. We need to focus on that.

‘We don’t have the luxury that other people have to stay in that moment. Fans have this opportunity, they can do that. 

‘But I hope also that they see how much this team is working, what they are doing on the pitch, and to support them like they’ve been doing brilliantly in these last couple of games. 

Kasper Schmeichel denied Ridvan Yilmaz in a dramatic penalty shoot-out at Hampden

‘And that doesn’t change because of what happened in the final, so we need to continue in that way.’

John Souttar’s prospects of returning for the next derby at Ibrox on January 2 look slim, with his manager confirming the defender will be missing for the rest of this month.

Clement, who confirmed that Oscar Cortes could be back involved today, said: ‘My medical staff don’t like that I speak about that (Souttar) publicly.

‘Sometimes some things go faster, sometimes a little bit slower. And then you can say, okay, it was expected at that moment and it’s not there yet. But for sure he will not play this month. We’ll see at the end of it.’