George Peat (right)
Rangers ‘keeper Allan McGregor’s challenge on Aberdeen’s Chris Maguire will belatedly be viewed by the SFA Review Panel today following last month’s Aberdeen-Rangers clash.
The secretive and mysterious panel were thrown into the spotlight last year when Celtic chief Peter Lawwell was forced into going public to ask for an explanation on what criteria they operate under.
No explanation was ever given but after apparently going into hibernation the review panel will emerge today- just hours before the Czech Republic-Scotland match- to look at the incident where McGregor appears to aim a kung-fu style kick at Maguire.
Inevitably senior sources at Rangers are furious with the decision.
McGregor is currently in Prague with the SFA preparing for tonight’s international and is receiving treatment for a thigh injury.
Showing the sense of timing that the SFA specialise in Craig Levein will be hoping that McGregor can declare himself fit whilst the SFA blazers sit in Glasgow deciding whether or not to punish their keeper!
McGregor could be given a one match ban for the incident which would rule him out of next Saturday’s clash with Motherwell at Ibrox.
An appeal could then be lodged which more than likely would be held on Tuesday- the day that Scotland face Spain at Hampden.
New SFA Chief Executive Stewart Regan is credited with the decision to look again at the incident which once again raises the arbitrary manner in which the review panel operate.
Until clear guidelines are issued into why incidents are reviewed retrospectively then the SFA are always going to leave themselves open to criticism.
It’s not asking too much for every SPL match to be watched on a Monday and any incidents missed by referees to be decided upon by the Wednesday.
When incidents are dragged up more than a week after they take place there is no defence for the SFA.
George Peat, President of the SFA, was a director of Airdrie before they went out of business in 2007 and had been chairman for six years between 2000 and 2006.
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It’s a very rare occasion when I side with the Dark Side……but this is nonsense.
Not so much the incident itself….but this crazy way of looking at this kind of thing needs the boot.
There is no structure in place….and secrecy seems to be the name of the game…get it sorted now.
For what it’s worth …I forecast that NO banning action will be taken against McGregor….he’ll get a warning and nothing else……
the whole set up is a farce.