THE RULE: Any Celtic player who deliberately leaves the field of play without the referee’s permission or puts his hands behind his ears after scoring will receive a yellow card. To observe this rule in action you must attend a match involving Scottish Champions Celtic playing in domestic football. Please note that in European matches, as they have officials appointed by football associations other than the SFA, the rule will not apply.
Observe what happens when a Celtic player scores a goal. Leigh Griffiths today opened the scoring when Celtic played lower league opposition at Hampden Park and seconds later received a yellow card for the specific offence of a player wearing green and white hoops putting his hands behind his ears. Instinctively, like footballers across the world, the scorer may leave the field to celebrate with his team’s supporters. Every week you see on television players with a variety of goal celebrations with the hands behind the ears version being regularly used. But for the SFA, with a huge stadium like Hampden Park with the supporters so far away from the field of play, it is particularly important that the ears above the hoops are not touched after scoring.
So the SFA are clear: if Celtic player indulges in any gratuitous celebrations with the paying customers the referee shall immediately produce a yellow card. The SFA are very proud to champion their exciting new Celtic Rule and would like to encourage other associations across Europe to urge their referees to adopt this rule should they have the chance to ensure that Celtic progress towards Warsaw is hindered in every way possible.
Next time we will examine the Lee McCulloch – Get Away with Murder Rule. The SFA call it the Masonic Blind Eye Rule…
