The SFA have once again highlighted the double standards that they apply to clubs from Ibrox.
This afternoon they announced that Craig McPherson would serve a six match dug-out suspension for head-butting Fran Alonso following a 1-1 draw in the Glasgow Derby- the first SWPL match to be televised live.
It was genuinely an unprecedented incident, there has been plenty of shouting matches and stand-offs on the touchline but never before a physical attack.
The six match ban contrasts sharply with a seven match suspension given to Aleksandar Tonev for alleged racial abuse of Shay Logan in 2014. There wasn’t a shred of evidence against the on loan Aston Villa winger, just the word of the Aberdeen defender.
There was television evidence of McPherson’s attack, five days later he admitted his guilt in a pitiful around the houses ‘apology’.
The touchline ban will allow McPherson to still be involved on matchdays but he won’t be permitted in the dug out alongside Malky Thomson.
In December 2014 BBC Scotland reported:
Celtic’s Aleksandar Tonev has lost his appeal against a seven-match ban for racially abusing Aberdeen’s Shay Logan.
A Scottish Football Association appeal tribunal has upheld October’s against the Bulgarian.
It was revealed that the original decision had been based on the belief that Logan, 26, was a more reliable and convincing witness than Tonev, 24.
Celtic had challenged both the decision and the length of the suspension handed out to the on-loan Aston Villa winger.
After a typical club statement about their surprise and disappointment Celtic accepted the SFA suspension with the tag following Tonev throughout the rest of his career.
? BREAKING Rangers coach Craig McPherson banned for SIX games after headbutting Celtic’s Fran Alonso pic.twitter.com/9KgL06EC4A
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) April 13, 2023
One rule or then and another rule for us
What else would you expect from them, if it had been the other way around he would have been banned for life. I get more frustrated with our own board who seem to do or say nothing although seemingly, they do so in the background ?
Oh tuned in tonight for some Comedy Gold with radio snyde,they did take a call on the sevco coach 6 game ban.
The panel of Wison and Dalziel said the punishment was enough and its time to move on,as there was no other incident to compare the length of ban with.
Totally brushing under the carpet the 7 game ban for a Celtic player accused of racially abusing the Aberdeen player then found guilty without any evidence to back it up,but the 6 game ban is more than enough for a headbutt.