RANGERS boss Stuart McCall today appealed for the number of offences players can be punished for retrospectively by the SFA to be limited.

McCall welcomed the decision not to suspend Josh Meekings, the Inverness Caledonian Thistle centre-half, for the William Hill Scottish Cup final next month.

He revealed he had cheered when he heard the player, who had handled the ball in the semi-final against Celtic on Sunday, had been cleared to play against Falkirk.

The decision by compliance officer Tony McGlennan to issue a notice of complaint for a handball for the first time sparked a storm of controversy.

A player can be cited for any incident that has not been seen by match officials - but McCall would like that to be changed.

He stated: "It's one hundred per cent the right decision. I'm delighted for Josh, I'm delighted for Inverness. I'm sure nearly one hundred per cent of people in football will agree that it was the right decision.

"I can't remember if I heard it on the radio or saw it on Sky Sports but when I heard the news I went: 'Yes!'

"Listen, everyone knows it was a red card, a sending off. No doubt. But, for me, it shouldn't have gone this far but the right decision has been made."

He added: "I think referees should be allowed to referee games. But if someone has elbowed someone or punched someone off the ball, that's different if it's done deliberately.

"I can think of loads of games that I've been involved in that you could have had retrospective disciplinary action. But where do you stop with it?

"For something deliberate, then yes, but this Meekings incident wasn't deliberate.

"Unless it's something sneaky that the referee has missed, an elbow or a spit or something like that. But for something like this I don't think it was needed."

Celtic wrote to the SFA this week seeking clarification on how semi-final referee Steven McLean missed the Meekings handball incident.

But McCall stressed he would not have gone down that route if he had been in a similar position.

He said: "My honest answer is no. What can you do? The referee missed it. We are all human. Obviously it's probably cost them (Celtic) massively. There's no doubt about it.

"But they've (the officials) messed up and you can't go back and change it. We all make mistakes.

"And if I wrote to the SFA what would I expect back from them? 'Sorry it was a mistake?' What more can be said? I don't know what more they can actually say."

"I think by the letter of the law, if the officials haven't seen it then you can then look into it. I can think back to bad decisions we got at Sheffield United, but you just have to get on with it.

"I'm sure every manager and supporter can look back on dozens of decisions that didn't go the way of their teams.

"Everyone talks about the decision which didn't go Aberdeen's way in the last game of the season against Motherwell at Pittodrie last year.

"But there was a decision the previous Boxing Day at Fir Park where Russell Anderson took out Jack Leitch and forearm smashed the ball over the line and the goal stood.

"So, as sore as it is, as desperate as you feel, you have to recognise that human beings make mistakes."