THE MIGHT of SFA justice was brutally demonstrated when poor, old Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink was red-carded in stoppage-time in Inverness on the Sunday afternoon of January 28 2007.
Celtic’s Dutch striker had just lashed in the winner for Gordon Strachan’s team in a hard-fought confrontation against battling Caley Thistle who had played with their usual vim and vigour, flaring nostrils and rolled-up sleeves against their Glasgow opponents.
A bruising encounter had stalemated at 1-1 until Big Jan hit a scrambled clearance smack on the sweet spot and the ball was a blur as it flashed past the frantically-diving Michael Fraser.
The goal – in the 91st minute – was a certain points-clincher at the pokey wee arena where Celtic rarely displayed the sort of intricate and easy-on-the-eye football normally associated with the team.
The Highland capital on a raw January afternoon was no place for Fancy Dan performances. It was a case of get in there, get the job done and get back down the road.
ROARING SUCCESS…Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink celebrates another Celtic goal.
So, could anyone blame the Hoops hitman for expressing pleasure and daring to share the joy with a few of the travelling fans in the 7,484 crowd?
Most will be aware the dimensions of the playing surface in Inverness and the surrounding track which separates observers from the pitch.
We’re talking a couple of yards or so, dear reader. Big Jan raced behind the goal for a brief moment to share the merriment.
As he returned to the field, po-faced referee Iain Brines awaited to eagerly flash a red card at the player.
The Celtic sinner had already been booked earlier in the game for the heinous crime of disputing a throw-in that video evidence proved had erroneously been awarded to the hosts.
Brines waved a yellow piece of cardboard under Vennegoor of Hesselink’s snoot for that outrage.
That led to the brandishing of the red for a second yellow card.
RED ALERT…Derek Riordan joins Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink as he celebrates with a handful of fans after hitting Celtic’s winner in Inverness in January 2007. The long arm of the law is already getting involved.
After his team-mate’s dismissal, Neil Lennon expressed what the rest of the right-thinking world observed when he said: “It was a nonsense, really petty. What else is he supposed to do?”
According to FIFA’s Laws of the Game, a player celebrating a goal can be cautioned for unsporting behaviour. Included in the directive, the rules state a performer can be punished if “in the opinion of the referee, a player makes gestures which are provocative, derisory or inflammatory when celebrating a goal.”
There is an additional line that states there can be retribution if “a player climbs onto a perimeter fence to celebrate a goal being scored.”
Big Jan went from hero to zero in the time it took match official Brines to rival Quick Draw McGraw in producing a second yellow card swiftly followed by red.
