More controversy at SFA as crisis deepens…

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More controversy at SFA as crisis deepens…


Let’s get factuality out of the way first here – Jon Flanagan clearly got away with one in the Old Firm. No one would sincerely argue that he didn’t deserve a red card for smashing Brown in the chops with his arm/elbow. It wasn’t the most malicious act of wanton violence we’ve ever witnessed, true, but it was clearly a red card, and the ref inexplicably only gave a yellow despite having had a clear view of it.

And yet here we are again – a two-match ban handed out retrospectively to a Rangers player for violent conduct in another Compliance Officer episode of ‘partiality’.

We have no argument here on Ibrox Noise that the offence was an offence – but Rangers’ statement that we are being singled out doesn’t sound a million miles away from what we all feel.

We’ve been stating all season that the consistency of the offences that make it to compliance officer Clare Whyte’s desk and the ones which get hammered does, this season, feel very much weighted against Rangers.

That she is an alleged (former) season ticket holder at Parkhead is neither here nor there – she should be doing her job completely neutrally and yet, as managing director Stewart Robertson said earlier this season, ‘something has changed this season, and we don’t know what’.

Rangers’ chief was of course using a veiled barb at Whyte, because it’s patently obvious her appointment is what’s changed.

True, it has felt very anti-Rangers for approaching a decade or more in Scotland, but this season it’s really ramped up.

While we don’t deny the discipline issues at Ibrox aren’t good enough, and that’s not helping our case, no one is going to tell us butter doesn’t melt in the mouths of players not of a Rangers persuasion, yet guys like Alan Power get away with kicking Ryan Jack in the head and no action is merited? Ditto Simunovic on Defoe?

The even playing field we should be getting in Scotland is conspicuous by its absence and for every new case like this, it only deepens resentment.

Rangers may now have to face Kilmarnock without one of our most in-form players – Flanagan has been little short of excellent this past month or so, and the loss of his services would be a blow should Rangers lose their appeal.

There is no denying the discrepancy in Scottish football – indeed, most green and white fans not only accept it too, but they thrive on it.

Which pretty much sums them up, really.

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10 COMMENTS

  1. Plus she works for a company that has Celtic as one of its biggest clients. And she used to work for one of Lawwells company’s directly. Not very impartial, plus with Beaton saying after decembers old firm he had recommend a number of Celtic players and rangers to be delt with but it was ignored

  2. Great post we are targeted all the time a prime example I watched St Mirren and Hamilton on monday night the game was on BT sports referee was Column St Mirren player goes in over the top runs his studs down the Accies players shin into his instep replay clearly shows this the referee gives him a yellow card the three pundits are shocked at this saying its a red card all day long So why was this not reviewed by the compliance officer and the appropriate action taken? because its not a Rangers player so bloody obvious I only hope that someone in our club has seen this and brings it up at Flanagans appeal

  3. Without replaying the incident over & over my initial reaction was like that of the referee.

    a) Brown overreacted (like a stuntman in a film)

    b) more importantly was Brown running directly at Flanagan more than once as if looking for a confrontation ?

    c) what is Rule 5 – referee decision final?

    d) decision only taken after being fully dissected by the BBC on Sunday evening

    cf the press don’t discuss a murder trial until AFTER the verdict ….

    No mention in press about Celtic player

    e) Conclusion who sites players ? And should “we” simply sited Scott Brown after every game if that is the rules

  4. You are right about getting away with it Flanagan was lucky on the day and he did it,but I have watched it umpteen times on tv and in newspapers and there is not a clear view of him elbowing brown and that is why he should not be getting done,the bbc have highlighted another one against us and left other incidents alone,the one on defoe clearly an elbow but not even mentioned on sportscene,its time we were standing up to this sort of treatment.

  5. SFA stands for Scottish Fienan Association. That surely explains all the discrepancies that we are noticing.

  6. In St Mirren v Celtic match some weeks ago Brown deliberately stood on St Mirren players stomach. Commentators immediately said it was a red card all day long. In evening Stewart said that although it was deliberate it was not vicious and merited only a yellow. I expected compliance officer to intervene. Nothing. No question bias exists against Rangers. By the way I thought yellow was sufficient for Flanagan as I did for Brown at Love Street. Refs all make mistakes but compliance officers should not. SFA are not being fair. Ask Steve Clarke. He too has been harshly punished. Refs need to improve also. But that is another matter. They need more common sense. There was no more stupid sending off than Candias at Love Street. That ref , sadly, is just incompetent.

  7. It's obvious they're all cheats , Lawell has them in his pocket…have the SFA ever investigated the celtic player in the incident when he removed the policeman hat and proceeded to wear it without being cautioned by the match officials, police assault and ungentlemanly conduct …..not a peep ? SFA are running scared of celtic

  8. The trouble is that the SFA, is like a Hibernian brotherhood. Our board should be calling them out on the fact that they're mostly Hibs and Celtic, connected. But no, on we go, letting them get away with it, year after year. We can prove their 'green connections' so why not complain to FIFA, if FIFA are indeed, the ones in charge of all the international football associations. We have a legitimate grievance here and much video evidence. Time they got pulled-up, for their 'green masonic-like' ways. If nobody says anything, obviously nothing is going to change.

  9. As for the Simunovic/Defoe incident it was the Compliance Officer who referred the incident and a 3 man panel then assess it and make a decision. A friend I know tells me that when the 3 man panel assessed the incident that Father Thomas and Father Michael both thought it should've been a red card for simunovic but Father Peter thought Defoe was to blame. Father Peter was a late stand in for Father Patrick who was in court that day for something or another.

  10. Totally agree with IN.
    these incidents stinkering
    My question is this

    Brown kicked Morelaso he then threw the ball away when Kent tried to get it Brown then antagonised the Rangers support and gets nothing
    Brown rolled around after clash with Morales a d Kent as though he injused did same on Sunday all events holding his face
    Question did he sustain a cut lip bleeding nose even a bruise from any of these answer no he did not
    Morelos did not hit him in the face neither did flannagan and it doesn't look like Kent made much contact either.
    Brown is the one common denominator in all these events and he gets zilch
    What a stitch up

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