After Celtic’s defeat to Hearts, manager Brendan Rodgers attacked the referees, drawing criticism from Rangers and the rest of the SPFL.
The Parkhead team lost 2-0 to the Jambos at Tynecastle, blowing their opportunity to take the top spot in the Scottish Premiership.
This occurred following Rangers’ 2-1 loss to Motherwell at Ibrox the previous day, which gave Celtic a fantastic chance to seize the lead in the Scottish Premiership.
However, Brendan Rodgers may be waiting for an SFA citation following his team’s loss, and the Rangers won’t be the only ones in attendance.
Brendan Rodgers became enraged with the officials.
Following Celtic’s loss against Hearts, manager Brendan Rodgers attacked the officials, specifically VAR operator John Beaton.
The Celtic manager was not pleased with two significant calls made during the game, especially when his team was given an absurdly cheap penalty early on that they missed.
Specifically, following a VAR review, Korean winger Yang was sent off for a high boot in the first half, and Hearts was given a penalty for a contentious handball by Tomoki Iwata.
Do the remarks that seemed to centre around John Beaton at full time—the referee who has been the target of ongoing pro-Rangers conspiracy theories from Celtic supporters—qualify as citations?
Rodgers declared, “I never like to comment on officials.” “However, that really, really hurt us today—the on-field officiating, with John Beaton using VAR.
That the decisions made are utterly startling, and I am incredibly upset.
You’ll probably need to ask John Beaton in VAR what he observes, as he may be observing something different from everyone else if he is witnessing the handball and that potentially risky play. Unless, of course, you have a connection to hearts. Simply put, I believe they are viewing a different game.
After the game, Rodgers said in a press conference, “My feeling is that the officials decided the game.” both within and outside the field.
“There has been no change, and in my opinion, VAR is not the issue at hand. That is evident. It’s proficiency. Furthermore, I believe that the first one is a fantastic illustration of a game being off-field refereed.
“It’s the only word I can use to describe the level of incompetence I see, and that worries me about the game.”
Celtic manager disobeys SFA regulations following Hearts defeat
A number of Scottish Premiership managers have faced suspensions throughout the years due to remarks they made against referees during post-match interviews.
The SFA guidelines are intended to shield referees from managers’ personal attacks. It remains to be seen, though, if the professional members’ body would stand up for whistleblower John Beaton.
Rodgers is obviously in violation of Rule 72 just by using the term “incompetence.” Rule 72 states:
“In an interview, a ‘blog’ on the internet, on a social networking or microblogging site, or in any other manner calculated or likely to lead to publicity, no recognised football body, club, official, Team Official, or other member of Team Staff, player, or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall (i) criticise the Decision(s) and/or Performance(s) of any or all match officials in a way that suggests bias or incompetence on the part of such match official; or (ii) make remarks about such match official(s) which impinge on his character.”
For remarks he made regarding Steven McLean in 2019, Scotland manager Steve Clarke received a two-match ban, while Craig Levein received a one-match ban for saying his team was “playing against 12 men” against Rangers in the same season.
Another example is the former manager of Falkirk, Craig Houston, who was banned in 2015 for remarks he made following an Ibrox loss.
Regardless of your opinion on the decisions, we have to admit that it is absurd to suggest that both calls were categorically wrong and not, at most, subject to discussion.
Two months ago, when St Mirren’s Toyosi Olusanya was sent off by the officials in a similar situation versus Celtic, Brendan Rodgers had no problem with Yang’s excessively high boot.
A VAR review during a match against Hibs only last season saw Killie striker Kyle Vassell sent off for a high boot, providing more proof that the rules are being implemented safely and equitably.
Although Iwata’s hand is outside the silhouette and alters the trajectory of the ball in the box, the Parkhead manager can still lament the contentious hand ball penalty ruling.
It is desperate to claim that Celtic have been defrauded in any way.
Rangers, like all the other SPFL clubs, will be keenly interested to see how things work out.
In Scottish football, there’s little doubt that everyone is subject to the law. If the manager of Celtic gets away with his remarks, it will only serve to emphasise the reasons why half of the Premiership have questioned the validity of a recent “independent review” of the governance of the sport.
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