CELTIC have accused the SFA of a “worrying lack of consistency” following the decision to hand Ryan Christie a three-match suspension after an incident with Ibrox striker Alfredo Morelos.
The Hoops midfielder appeared to motion a hand towards a sensitive area of his opponent during the champions’ 2-1 loss at Parkhead just before the turn of the year.
The tussle took place right in front of referee Kevin Clancy who awarded the visitors a free-kick for the infringement and there was not even a word of caution to the offender.
Celtic were astounded to learn the club and the player had been served with a notice of complaint for the infringement from SFA compliance officer Clare Whyte.
They were even more amazed yesterday when the Scotland international playmaker copped a two-match ban and a further one-game punishment with his red card against Livingston in October also taken into account.
Neil Lennon’s assistant boss John Kennedy, as reported in CQN yesterday, spoke about the incident before the sentencing and called it a “crazy” charge and he insisted the player had no case to answer.
Then came the news Christie would be forced to sit out the Scottish Cup-tie against Partick Thistle at Firhill on Saturday, January 18, the midweek Premiership visit to Rugby Park to face Kilmarnock and the following home encounter against Ross County.
The champions issued a statement expressing their dismay over the decision.
It said: “Celtic Football Club and Ryan Christie are extremely disappointed at the outcome of the hearing today.
“Given the recent treatment of Celtic players and the lack of sanctions being imposed on those responsible, the fact that a sanction has been imposed on Ryan for the incident in question demonstrates a worrying lack of consistency in the Scottish FA fast track process.
“Naturally, we will be contacting the Scottish FA regarding our concerns. Scottish football deserves a disciplinary process which is fair, consistent and fit for purpose.”
