BILEL MOHSNI today appealed to referees to protect Rangers players from their opponents' physical challenges.

Mohsni has been upset with the treatment he and his team-mates have received in SPFL League One this season.

The centre-half snapped in the 1-0 win over Airdrie at the Excelsior Stadium last week and ended up getting red-carded.

The 26-year-old, who was suspended for the game against Stenhousemuir on Sunday, admitted he was wrong to react in the way he did.

But the defender, who will return from his suspension against East Fife at Ibrox on Saturday, reckons match officials need to do more.

He said: "Dunfermline and Airdrie were both games where players hit us and gave a lot of injuries to our side.

"After the Airdrie game, I was a little bit upset as we had taken a lot of kicks and had been given a lot of free-kicks because there were lots of fouls.

"One of their players swore at me so I swore back at him, which I know was stupid but I did it.

"I remember Nicky Clark and Ian Black had taken two bad tackles in that game and I was shocked.

"I can understand why they would react to that because we are humans. Sometimes you are weak and you react."

Speaking to the official Rangers website, Mohsni added: "I am not being arrogant when I say teams can't beat us because we are beating them.

"We have proved this to everyone already.

"But people know after the Dunfermline game the way to play against us is the way they did back then. I think the referees have to protect us.

"Blackie reacted against Airdrie, I reacted and other players will react in the future because we are human beings."