Paul McBride- the SFA look beyond stupid
The QC managed to get a 6 match touchline ban on Neil Lennon reduced to four but was left amazed by the SFA’s refusal to punish anyone connected with Rangers following their Scottish Cup defeat to Celtic.
Despite clearly manhandling and disregarding a red card Rangers pair Madjid Bougherra and El Hadji Diof got off with fines for their misdemeanours.
“”Officially tonight we now know the SFA to be the laughing stock of world football,” he told the BBC “The decisions are incoherent, they are, on the face of it, thoroughly dishonest.
“I never thought they were biased or prejudiced but now, hearing what they’ve done today, it’s very hard to escape that conclusion. We have a position whereby the person who was provoked gets a four-match ban and the person who does the provoking is let off.
“We have a Rangers player, Bougherra, manhandling a referee, not once but twice, and there is no ban.
“We have El-Hadji Diouf who is abusing the Celtic manager and throwing his top into the crowd and refusing to leave the park and behaving badly – no ban.
“What does any sensible person think of that?”
McBride was speaking in a personal capacity and cannot be censured by the SFA.
He added: “Celtic, and I hope they refuse to comment on this, I suspect will be privately bemused and seething by today’s result.
“I was prepared, as were Celtic, to give them the benefit of the doubt with their various incoherent and inconsistent decisions.
“I don’t think they’re getting the benefit of the doubt now from anyone.
“I don’t think this benefits Rangers either – this makes our governing body look beyond stupid.”