The Scottish FA have released the VAR audio from the controversial goal incident between Rangers and St Johnstone.

The Perth club had been left furious after Cyriel Dessers' strike for Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup tie at Hampden.

The Ibrox forward had fired home from inside the penalty box with referee Matthew MacDermid then blowing for a free-kick against the striker.

There had been confusion over whether the whistle was blown before the goal but replays confirmed the official had delayed blowing for the foul until after the goal was scored.

A VAR review was then recommended with MacDermid awarding the goal.

The Scottish FA have now released the audio of the incident as part of their new The VAR Review monthly show discussing refereeing decisions.

MacDermid can be heard telling his colleagues he intends to award a free-kick to St Johnstone but delaying his whistle until the goal is scored.

Rangers vs St Johnstone VAR Audio

VAR: "APP. Potential offside, header. And reset. APP.

Referee: "Going to give a foul, going to give a foul, going to give a foul."

VAR: "Let me just check that on field. Just tell him we are checking it."

Referee: "I have to delay, I have to delay there's VAR because if I'm wrong here I go to screen. I have to delay. I have to delay.

VAR: "Matthew just delay, we're going to check that. So the St Johnstone player stands on him. Dessers doesn't do anything wrong for me. Matthew, just confirm what you have seen, please."

Referee: "For me, he goes through and he catches the defender, as the defender kind of turns."

VAR: "Okay, so I can show him evidence that doesn't suggest that.

"Matthew, it's Greg. I'm going to recommend an on-field review for awarding the goal. 

"Make the signal then make your way to the screen."

Referee chief Willie Collum has confirmed the correct decision was made in the end - to award the goal.

However, while praising the match official for his delaying of the whistle and communication with VAR, Collum did state the body language of the referee was poor and suggested a free-kick was about to be given.

He said: "The starting point for us is we coach the referee here and the referees generally about good body language.

"Here, the referee probably doesn't display good body language because his body language when the challenge is made on the edge of the penalty area is everything is edging towards a free kick, body language-wise.

"However, even though his body language is showing that, he correctly delays the whistle, he correctly communicates so the VAR is aware of what he intends to do if a goal is scored and when the ball hits the net he then blows the whistle for what he deems to be a defensive free-kick punishing the Rangers player for a challenge.

"The VAR then go into a check and they quickly come to a conclusion that in fact there is no infringement - I would also say this is a normal footballing contact. Some people have said to me, 'Would it be a penalty if the attacker had gone down?'. For me, this is normal football contact and it would have been play-on, nobody does anything wrong.

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"The VAR checks and realises the Rangers player has not committed a foul and therefore they recommend an on-field review for the referee to assess that, to come to the screen and have another look. 

"The check takes quite long because there is also an offside in the build-up and the VAR needs to make sure they get that right. We would like that check to be quicker, we would like the check of the attacking phase of play, the potential offside as the referee comes to the monitor to speed things up. We know it can seem very slow.

"Ultimately for us, apart from the body language, in terms of the whistle, the delay and the communication with the VAR the correct process was followed. And ultimately for us the correct decision was reached."

Collum added: "The reason I am more than satisfied is there are two aspects to this. Firstly, we can hear the audio and hear when the whistle goes, and if the whistle had gone prior to the ball going in the net it would be impossible for the referee to speak at that time because he would be blowing the whistle but you clearly hear the match referee indicating by voice what he is going to do. For us, it is absolutely clear the whistle was blown after the goal was scored. 

"Very importantly for this as well, some people said, 'If the referee thinks it's a foul, he should blow immediately there'. That is absolutely against the protocol and for us if the referee blows his whistle at the point he thinks a foul happens and then immediately the shot is struck and goes in to goal it's a disaster for us."

Asked whether it's as simple as playing to the whistle for players in similar scenarios, Collum responded: "I understand that but I also would compare it to occasionally an assistant would raise an incorrect flag and just because people may stop - it is impossible for a referee to accept an incorrect flag.

"That would be another scenario we would tell people to it's best to play to the whistle than play to a signal."