Close-up footage has now surfaced appearing to show that Cammy Kerr’s challenge on Mikey Moore took place outside the penalty area. Despite Rangers’ anger at the decision, the club have since been given clarification over why VAR could not step in — even though video official David Dickinson believed a foul had occurred.
Rangers battled back from two goals down against 10-man Livingston to salvage a point, but frustration boiled over when referee Ryan Lee dismissed appeals after Moore went down under Kerr’s challenge. Replays suggested there was contact and no touch on the ball, and Sky Sports later revealed that Dickinson had indeed judged it a foul. The lengthy six-minute delay centred not on whether it was a foul, but on where the contact happened.
The incident sparked fury from Rangers boss Danny Rohl post-match and ignited debate among pundits, with even Chris Sutton and Kris Boyd taking unexpected stances during the discussion.
Presenter Eilidh Barbour explained during the broadcast that VAR protocol only allows intervention for potential penalties, not for awarding free-kicks. Because Lee had not given a decision on the pitch, there was no on-field call to overturn. Had the contact been inside the box, Lee would have been advised to review it for a possible penalty. However, as Dickinson concluded the foul occurred outside the area, VAR was unable to act.
Sky later released still images appearing to show the initial contact happening beyond the penalty line. While IFAB guidelines allow for some flexibility when fouls begin outside the area and continue inside — typically in cases like shirt-pulling — that interpretation is rarely applied to one-off physical challenges.
Speaking in the studio, Rangers legend Kris Boyd accepted the explanation. He said: “From the point of contact you can see he is clearly outside of the box. Once they decide it’s not a DOGSO, it’s the correct decision.”
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