controversial incident involving Jefte’s red card during Rangers’ defeat to Dynamo Kyiv has been labeled a “disgrace” by BBC pundit Alan Hutton.

Alan Hutton has harshly criticized the decision to send off Jefte during Rangers’ defeat to Dynamo Kyiv at Hampden Park on Tuesday night, calling it a “disgrace.” Speaking on BBC Sportscene alongside Allan McGregor and Steven Thompson on 13 August, Hutton expressed his frustration with the Italian referee Marco Guida’s decision to penalize Jefte for an aerial challenge.

Jefte, a young Brazilian player, was dismissed just five minutes into the second half after receiving a second yellow card. This decision provoked a strong reaction from the Rangers fans, who voiced their anger as Guida and his team of officials left the field. Dynamo Kyiv went on to win the match 2-0, securing a 3-1 aggregate victory that ended Rangers’ hopes of advancing in the Champions League.

The incident has sparked debate about whether second yellow card decisions should be subject to VAR review. Hutton argued that if Jefte had been given a straight red card, the VAR team would have intervened to review the decision. However, because it was a second yellow, no review took place.

Hutton stated, “It’s a disgrace – if he was shown a straight red then [the VAR] would be in his earpiece to tell the referee to have another look at it, but because it’s two yellows, he won’t look at it.” McGregor added his agreement, saying, “I think anyone with two working eyes could see that.”

After reviewing the incident from multiple angles, Hutton found it difficult to understand how Guida could interpret Jefte’s challenge as malicious or dangerous. The fact that Guida was not instructed to review the incident on the monitor further frustrated Rangers supporters.

Despite their best efforts, Rangers struggled with the numerical disadvantage, and Dynamo Kyiv capitalized by scoring two late goals. The result has added to Rangers’ sluggish start to the season, as they had only managed a narrow 2-1 victory over Motherwell at Hampden over the weekend. The next challenge for Philippe Clement’s team will be St. Johnstone in the second round of the Scottish League Cup, a match that is now seen as crucial for boosting the morale of the team and its fans.