WELL, you know what they say about commonsense, don’t you?
It’s not that common.
And that has just been demonstrated so capably once again by the SFA with their dismissal of Celtic’s appeal against Auston Trusty’s red card in the 2-2 draw with Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.
The Hoops defender was originally booked for a coming-together with the home side’s bustling striker Landry Kbore 30 yards from goal. Both players were chasing a through ball when there was a tussle which saw the forward take off on a slalom-like dive across the surface.
ON THE BAWL…Hearts’ Alexandros Kyziridis clearly doesn’t agree with Steven McLean’s choice of colour as the referee waves a yellow card at Auston Trusty.
Referee Steven McLean reached for a yellow card amid an almighty clamour from the Edinburgh club’s players to have the Celt removed. Not the most edifying sight when you witness a group laughingly trying to pass themselves off as sportsmen howling like demented dervishes in a pathetic attempt to have an opponent banished.
In fact, it’s downright scunnersome.
Unfortunately, John Beaton, in the VAR Control Room, was thinking along similar lines and instructed the onfield official to review the incident on the touchline monitor.
McLean had a swift shufty, naturally agreed with his colleague, raced back on and, with the speed of Quick Draw McGraw, had produced a red card.
Game over for Trusty; cue much jollification among opponents.
For clarification purposes, Celtic were happy to pay £650 for the right of an appeal. I wrote here yesterday I was not holding my breath about the outcome.
The only chance of a reprieve for Trusty could have come from an attack of brains at the SFA and such a manifestation was clearly out of the question.
In their wisdom, the independent panel knocked back the appeal and said in a statement: “Claim dismissed. Red card for sending off offence. A4 – Denying the opposing team or an opponent a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity as defined by Law 12, is re-imposed with immediate effect.”
GAME OVER…Auston Trusty trudges towards the dressing room as Martin O’Neill and Derek McInnes look on.
So, in their collective judgement, they decreed Kbore, scorer of two goals in 13 appearances, had been denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Really?
Maybe if the Hearts player was utilising a Harley Davidson he might have caught up with the ball that was going wide right, controlled it and, displaying hitherto unseen skills, managed to contrive an effort at Kasper Schmeichel’s goal.
It’s all hypothetical now, but the world and its granny know this was never an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
I’m beginning to wonder if some people actually know the meaning of the word obvious. Basically, it’s the same as evident.
It doesn’t matter a jot, really, when you and I have met folk who will argue black is white.
Or yellow is red, in this case.
ALEX GORDON
BEATON + VAR = RED CARDS FOR CELTIC
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