Ross County boss says Rangers player James Sands should have been sent off for Hiwula foul as Staggies lose 4–0 in Glasgow
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Ross County manager Malky Mackay says Rangers player James Sands should have been sent off in Ross County's 4–0 defeat at Ibrox this afternoon.
Sands had already been booked and with the scoreline 0–0, appeared to manhandle Jordy Hiwula to the ground who had a chance to score and give the Staggies the lead.
Mackay says it was a decision that referee Don Robertson got wrong at a time when the match was still level.
Mackay said: “Sands pulls down Jordy with two arms around his waist, and he has already been booked.
"It’s inexplicable how it’s not a straight red – never mind a booking which would have taken him off as well.
“Rangers took him off at half-time, so it’s quite clear what they think about it.
“I don’t think anybody who sees that on television will think that’s anything other than a straight red.
“The dynamics of games change. I’m not saying what it would end up, or what it might be.
“I look at Aberdeen and Livingston who were 0-0 after 40 minutes. A man was sent off and it’s 5-0 to Aberdeen.
“It was very straightforward – there were two men in that half and nobody else. There’s no need for Jordy to go down as he has rolled him and he’s away.
“We are disappointed with that. You need the correct decisions to go your way at Ibrox if they are on it, which they were.”
Mackay also said having lost Jack Baldwin and Ross Callachan to two match bans for incidents during the win over Kilmarnock last week made the lack of action even more frustrating.
“It makes it even more sore the fact we have just had two players cited and retrospectively sent off by the Scottish FA during the week.
“For those retrospective ones, the process has to be better than it is.
"There needs to be someone who actually watches the 90 minutes of six games at the weekend – not whatever happens on Sportscene on Saturday night and somebody flags it up.
“There was one with five minutes to go in the same game, which they never saw, that should have been a sending off.
“This one is not something that can be retrospectively done, although I don’t care about that. It’s not something for me either.”
