Madjid Bougherra has expressed his relief after being cleared to play in Rangers' Clydesdale Bank Premier League title showdown at Dundee United on Sunday.
On Tuesday Referee Stuart Dougal admitted he was wrong to show the defender a red card for a tackle on Aberdeen goalkeeper Jamie Langfield at Ibrox on Saturday.
Bougherra feared he was set for more big-game heartache after missing the Co-operative Insurance Cup final defeat by Celtic through injury. "It has already happened once this season when I missed the Co-operative Insurance Cup final. That was difficult to take when I had worked so hard to help the team get there," he told the Daily Record.
"The last thing I wanted was to miss out on an even bigger game this weekend. You work hard all year for occasions like this so you don't want to miss out at the end.
"The way I see it - my work is not yet finished. I'm just so happy I will get the chance to play my part on Sunday because this title is so important to everyone here."
Bougherra insists he does not hold a grudge against Dougal, who decided to bring forward his retirement by one match after Saturday's game.
The Algerian said: "I wasn't angry with him because I know how difficult it is for referees. If I had been in his position, it would have been a difficult decision for me to have to make."
He added: "As soon as I heard the club were going to appeal, I was confident that we would win it and I would be allowed to play against United.
"I wasn't trying to injure the goalkeeper. The first thing I did was try to make sure he was okay. I think he realised that too. Anyone who has seen me play knows that is not the way I play."
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gawn th arab.. up th tangerines!f uck th loyalists at th s f a !
Gary. You are right. I do hate rangers. As do 95% of the Scottish population. I hate the rangers mentality of flute bands, the sash, derrys walls, FTP and all the rest of the bigoted bile you lot bring to the sport that we love. FOOTBALL. Come on United. Intae the bigoted huns.
Win the league??? Not on our patch!!!!
Arab4everandever, think you may be a closet tim, what a sad sad man with your comments on this page, very anti Rangers............ C,mon the Famous Glasgow Rangers......................................
We shall not be moved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVER.
WHAT THE @#$% YOU ON ABOUT 4 IN A ROW FOR? HEARTS ARE GONNA WIN AT PARKHEAD SO IT CANT BE....C'MON THE BEARS ( AND THE JAMBOS )
The Referee should lose his license+it was a dfinite yellow at least anyway but we shall see!!
to arab4everandever......I see that fully certified moron and bigot paulgardner196 is supporting you. Under those circumstances I suppose we should pity you ,not critisise you ............. To paul.etc were any of your old friends and mentors mentioned on tonights news programms.
Arab4everandever..........mediocre team??? 30 points ahead of your lot...........Red cards very rarely overturned?.. Two in this game but you chose to ignore the non rangers one . You idiotic bigot. Did you not go to school on the days they were teaching any of the required subjects.
Isn't it funny how the huns fans are givin the thumbs down to anyone who dares question their "superiority". Rangers are a joke. Once again they will get murdered in Europe next season and once again make Scottish football a laughing stock. Come on United. Send the huns back to ibrox on sunday greetin their eyes out!!!!
2-0 United
This has nothing to do with conspiracy theories. The evidence is crystal clear. Red cards very very rarely get overturned. If this had happened in a motherwell game or an Inverness game, then the red card appeal would have been thrown out immediately (see Stephen Pressley/Falkirk for a perfect example). I don't care which side of the old firm win the league this weekend. I will only be supporting MY team on to a victory at Tannadice. I hope we gub the huns whether buggerera plays or not. After all, he is only a mediocre player in a mediocre team. Come on United. Let's beat the huns for the good of Scottish football and fair play.
aye like charlie mulgrews?ya chesting hun barstewards.4 IN A ROW.FTQ
All the conspiracy theory tims cryin about secret handshakes. Waaah waaah stfu. Anyone who knows anythin about football could see it should never have been a red card.
i think all huns are idiots,they havnae won at tannadice since 2006 and it aint gonnae happen this weekend.4 IN A ROW.FTQ
that comment was to point 4
point 3 i was saying a red card should stand because it is unfair if the game is not on telly, if Mulgrew had been playing in a game that was not on telly the red card would have stood because they would have had no telly evidence. so you are the idiot
pt5 great point ive said it for years unless you are in the old firms pocket you have no chance of it getting overturned the spl are the biggest bunch of hypocrits ever and like you said the funny hand shake brigade strikes again
What a joke the SFA are!!!! Hypocritical beaurocrats, every one of you. No wonder Scottish football is in such a mess. Stephen Pressley's red card must stand, but Buggerera gets away with "murder" because he plays for the huns. Wonder how many handshakes were made to sort this one out.
Point 3. Are you suggesting that Mulgrew's red card should also stand? I think you are an idiot.
a red card should stand, what happens if someone gets sent of in a game that is not on telly, so they cant look at it i dont think this is fair. if the game that loovens kicked out at that player had not been on telly there is nothing anyone could have done about it.
how he never got player of the year beats me,twice the player caldwell will ever be and dont recall any game this season where he's had a bad game-class act W A T P
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