How to intimidate an appeal panel

Let us be clear, if you are found to have transgressed an SFA rule and a judicial panel is asked to apportion a punishment, you have absolutely no rights to character assassinate or question the independence of the panel.  Nor in doing so, do you, or the Scottish public (good grief!) have a right to try to ‘out’ the panel.

Ally McCoist prepared for a Rangers TV interview yesterday, not normally an environment subject to the kind of spontaneous and offhand comments you get post-match, decrying the work of the “supposedly independent judicial panel”.

The SFA must take whatever steps necessary to protect those involved in their judicial process and must ensure that any appeal by Rangers is heard on the evidence of the case alone.

Despite much protest, no one has actually claimed Rangers are innocent.  That being the case, the judicial panel must apply appropriate punishment.  The option to revoke Rangers membership of the SFA remains open to the panel – something that would be impossible to avoid if the club were found guilty of subverting over 700 games of football and a decade worth of trophies.

These matters are not going away. Take your medicine.

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