John Hartson has told the SFA that their disciplinary code and Compliance Officer have lost all credibility.
Many Celtic fans would ask when they ever had credibility but this season has opened an incredible can of worms with decisions contradicted left right and centre.
In September Allan McGregor escaped punishment for kicking out at Kris Ajer but last week was hit with a two match suspension for kicking out at Aberdeen’s Lewis Ferguson.
Celtic are still waiting for John Beaton to explain why he didn’t punish Alfredo Morelos for a stamp on Tony Ralston’s back, on Friday Darnell Johnson of Hibs had a yellow card for a brutal attack on Craig Thomson upgraded to a red and two match ban which directly contradicts the decision of the referee.
Writing in the Evening Times Hartson says:
I have completely lost faith in the SFA judicial review panel.
Alfredo Morelos’s kick at Scott McKenna at Pittodrie last week, for me, was nowhere near as bad as his stamp on Anthony Ralston in the Old Firm game. And yet, the Rangers striker gets handed a ban for that, while escaping punishment for an offence that was far worse. I couldn’t believe it when they didn’t punish him for the Ralston incident.
Yes, I know the procedure and that the referee John Beaton said he saw it, but there has to be a change to the way these incidents are flagged up because there is no consistency.
In my opinion, they have only now meted out this punishment to Morelos because he has been sent off a number of times now, and they feel that they have to be seen to be doing something to hammer him.
I just can’t see how these incidents could have been treated so differently, and I really don’t know where they are finding these people who sit on the panel. That’s part of the problem, and it is little wonder that supporters have lost all trust in the process when you have that lack of transparency and so much inconsistency to boot.
McGregor and Johnson will have their appeals against two match suspensions heard today by the SFA.
