Chris Sutton has shot down claims that he has been ‘muzzled’.
The BT pundit was highly critical of Craig Thomson’s performance in the Dundee v Sevco match with the referee retaliating by starting the second half of the St Johnstone v Celtic match a minute earlier and refusing to co-operate with the broadcaster.
BT Sport met with the SFA on Friday to discuss the situation amid concerns that Thomson’s attitude could threaten the broadcast deals.
Rumours emerged yesterday that part of the agreement was for BT Sport pundits to hold back on their criticism of match officials.
Sutton found that suggestion amusing and made his views clear to the Daily Record.
He stated: “Let me be absolutely clear. I have not been told anything of this nature by anyone and it has not been indicated to me that I will be spoken to about it in this manner in the future, either.
“I have not been ‘muzzled’ as claimed. I gave an honest assessment of an incident as I have done in the past and I will continue to do so in the future. I’ll make no apologies for that – that’s my job.
“The one person who has been silent through the whole thing is Thomson. There have clearly been questions which have not been answered on why he took matters into his own hands.”
The next SPFL fixture to be televised live by BT Sport is the Inverness Caley Thistle v Celtic match on September 18.
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CLICK HERE for Hartson’s twitter tip to Sutton.
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