Rangers accused of 'playing to the gallery' over Auston Trusty as Kemar Roofe appeal after fractured skull resurfaces

Roofe was banned for four matches after his challenge fractured Slavia Prague keeper's skull in highly charged Europa League defeat

Rangers have been accused of 'playing to the gallery' over their demands for an explanation for why Auston Trusty wasn't sent off after kicking Jack Butland in the head.

And the Ibrox club have been reminded that they appealed against the dismissal of one of their own players after he fractured a goalkeeper's skull.

Record Sport exclusively revealed that the governing body are set to tell Gers publicly why Celtic's American defender was only booked during Sunday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic.

Refs chief Willie Collum is understood to have sat down with Light Blues chief executive Patrick Stewart to discuss the thinking behind the call to keep Trusty on the Hampden pitch.

The club are understood to believe that he endangered Butland's safety and should have been sent off.

However, Michael Stewart has accused them of "playing to the gallery" and citing the Roofe appeal as evidence of Rangers being inconsistent.

Roofe was sent off against the Czechs at Ibrox in a Europa League last 16 second leg encounter in March 2021, that is best remembered for the shameful racist abuse of Glen Kamara by Ondrej Kudela.

The defender was slapped with a ten-match ban by UEFA, while Kamara was also sidelined for three games for assaulting Kudela in the tunnel.

Roofe saw red for catching keeper Ondrej Kolar and was banned for four games.

Rangers' subsequent appeal was booted out and Stewart was quick to compare the two incidents on the Scottish Football Social Club podcast.

"Somebody sent me this, but Rangers vs Slavia Prague," he said.

"Remember Kemar Roofe caught the goalkeeper in the head and he actually had a fractured skull?

"Rangers appealed that. They appealed that.

"My point is, a bit of consistency.

"You appeal kicking a guy in the head with the studs with a fractured skull and then you're asking why was a guy not sent off for touching him?

"A bit of consistency. See when clubs play to the galleries? It does my head in."

Click here to read article