Rangers: Philippe Clement happy for Willie Collum to referee Scottish Cup tie.

Philippe Clement has no issue with Willie Collum despite Rangers’ request that he not officiate their matches; it follows a decision in their 2-1 defeat to Celtic in December. Rangers visit Ayr United in the Scottish Cup fifth round on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm.

Philippe Clement maintains he is fine with referee Willie Collum officiating Rangers’ Scottish Cup match against Ayr United this Saturday.

Following their 2-1 defeat to Celtic in their Old Firm battle on December 30, the Ibrox club urged the Scottish FA not to include the official in their subsequent fixtures.

Collum was the VAR, and Rangers believed the official should have requested referee Nick Walsh to review a potential Alistair Johnston handball.

It later emerged a penalty was not given because Gers striker Abdallah Sima was offside in the build-up.

But Rangers manager Clement has no issue with Collum taking charge at Ibrox as his side look to keep their treble hopes on track.

“I am glad to be honest. “We can put this story behind us,” the Belgian stated.

“If I ever thought a referee wasn’t neutral, I’d resign my job, so I’m glad we can move on.

“For me, there was a mistake made; it was a blatant handball, but I am not without fault. Most likely, I make mistakes every day.

“I don’t look at people and think that if they make a mistake, they’ll be dead for life. No, this is a completely new game and situation.

“It’s crucial to avoid dwelling on the past. I don’t want my athletes to be living in the past, particularly in the last few weeks or months. It’s all about the next game and how you perform there.

“And if we make mistakes, you expect new opportunities to demonstrate that you’ve improved. I’m taking that approach to life.”

When asked if he would have preferred to be consulted before the request was made to the SFA, Clement replied, “That is something for the club, and we have discussed it. “That will happen in the future, yes.”

Clement also acknowledged the failure to overturn Dujon Sterling’s red card against Aberdeen in midweek.

“That’s the thing about football, it’s never black and white,” he told me.

“There is a grey area, and working as a referee in that grey region is challenging. That is also one of the appeals of football, but I don’t always feel that way when it goes against you.

“Clarity is essential, but there will always be a grey area. That was perhaps the error that everyone made when VAR arrived: they assumed the gray zone would disappear.

“That is not conceivable since there are so many intricacies in each motion. This was a gray zone. It went against us, and we have to accept it.”

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