The Ibrox boss was sent off which forced him to watch the second half from the gantry above the dugout
16:15, 26 Jul 2025Updated 19:12, 26 Jul 2025
Russell Martin was sent off for his furious reaction after Rangers were denied an apparent handball by Luke Ayling in their clash with Middlesbrough.
And that’s why the Ibrox boss watched the second half of the 2-2 draw from the gantry.
An experimental Gers side struggled in the pre-season friendly and went behind to an early Neto Borges goal.
The visitors were then denied by a questionable offside decision before Ayling appeared to handle in the box at the other end.
Martin was seen leaving his technical area to voice his dissent with the officials and, for the second half, he sat in the gantry above the dugout and watched from a distance.
Rangers Head Coach Russell Martin watches on from the stands
Middlesbrough then took a two-goal lead before Rangers battled back, eventually equalising through Findlay Curtis.
But Martin‘s ongoing absence from the touchline led to a debate as to whether the boss had been sent off for his angry reaction before the half-time whistle.
Now we can confirm he was in fact shown a red card by John Beaton for his incensed touchline antics following the denied first-half spot-kick.
Rangers claimed for a penalty after Luke Ayling appeared to handle the ball(Image: SNS Group)
More to follow.
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