Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers could be in the stand for his side’s trip to Ranger in April after being charged for a refereeing outburst over the weekend.
After Korean winger Yang received a red card for a high boot during the first half of Celtic’s eventual 2-0 loss to Hearts, the Parkhead boss lost his cool.
A penalty awarded to Hearts in the first half after Japanese midfielder Tomoki Iwata handballed likewise irritated Rodgers.
Following his divisive remarks, in which he bemoaned refereeing “incompetence” and identified whistleblower John Beaton, Brendan Rodgers has now been accused by the SFA under disciplinary rule 72.
This specifically prohibits any player, staff member, or member from “criticising the decision(s) and/or performance(s) of any or all match official(s) in a way that indicates bias or incompetence on the part of such match official; or (ii) making remarks about such match official(s) which impinge on his character.”
Brendan Rodgers charged
Surprisingly, Brendan Rodgers will miss the Old Firm match against Rangers if he is found guilty, with March 28th being the earliest date an SFA panel is unable to meet to discuss the case.
This is due to the fact that the minimum penalty for being found guilty of such a violation is a two-match suspension, meaning the manager would miss matches against Rangers (07/04) and Livingston (31/03) in the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic, who had an appeal for Yang’s red card denied this week, have undoubtedly hinted that they want to stand up for their boss.
They’ve also expressed concern over the tribunal’s scheduling, but it’s thought that this is the earliest that Hampden bosses have been unable to arrange it.
While we have to commend the SFA, given the rhetoric used by Brendan Rodgers in the interviews, let’s hope they follow through and make this case effectively closed.
Celtic manager to miss Rangers clash?
If everything goes according to plan, Celtic’s manager won’t be in the dugout when they visit Ibrox at the start of April.
We fear that someone may be remorseful for charging into the game after Celtic’s loss to Hearts, which cost them the opportunity to reclaim the top spot in the Scottish Premiership.
By including John Beaton in the discussion, Rodgers has been accused of “dog-whistling” to pro-Rangers conspiracy; others have said he was trying to divert attention from the disappointing outcome.
In any event, the remarks were undoubtedly misguided, and because the minimum penalty is a two-game suspension, we fully anticipate that the Celtic manager has just hurt his team’s chances of winning the trip to Rangers.
However, given the charges against Brendan Rodgers, we don’t think the tribunal’s scheduling will dispel the rumours of SFA, Rangers, and Celtic conspiracies.
As things stand, Rangers can move up to five points with a win in the Old Firm match if they win all of their games leading up to it against Celtic.
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