Neil Lennon has hit out at Kevin Clancy’s decision not to red card Jon Flanagan for elbowing Scott Brown in the face.
Midway through the second half of the Glasgow derby the referee had a perfect view as the former Liverpool defender smashed his elbow into the Celtic skipper.
Had the ball been in play Celtic would have been due a penalty but despite the brutality of the attack Clancy opted not to send the defender off.
Covering Lennon’s post match media conference the Evening Times reports:
It’s a red card. Again. How the referee has not given that as a red card I don’t know. It’s an elbow into his face.
Their bench is shouting, ‘It’s him (Brown) again’ but it’s a clear elbow into his face.
Jon has got his hands up first of all. Broony is moving to get away and then he elbows him in the jaw. It’s a straight red card, it’s totally unacceptable and unacceptable for the referee not to give a red card.
Now I’m not distracting away from the rest of the game where we were second best but the laws of the game are it’s a red card. You can dress it up anyway you want. You elbow somebody in the face, you’re off. So they’ve got away with one there.
In November Clancy was involved in a similar incident during Celtic’s 0-0 draw with Livingston after Dolly Menga head butted Ryan Christie.
Both players were called together and spoken to with no action taken, on review by the SFA Menga was given a two match suspension which he accepted.
In the first round of SPFL fixtures Clancy red carded Alfredo Morelos against Aberdeen only for that decision to be downgraded to a yellow on appeal.
Today’s result was the first time that Lennon has been defeated since taking over as caretaker manager from Brendan Rodgers at the end of February.