ALLAN McGREGOR for the second week in a row has escaped any punishment for incidents that would be regarded as ‘assault’ in the criminal courts, had they happened away from a football pitch.
Last week he landed on top of the outspoken Motherwell captain and while he made sure that his presence was felt in as painful a manner as possible, there was enough deniability to ensure that the SFA would not act.
This week McGregor’s latest ‘assault’ this time on 20 year old Kristoffer Ajer was seen as much more clear cut. McGregor put the put into the Celtic youngster, studs first and with as much force and aggression as the thuggish keeper could muster.
Yet today 3 Rangers supporters ex-referees could not reach a unanimous agreement that McGregor had a case to answer.
To be fair to the 3 Rangers supporters former referees, a few weeks earlier 3 other Rangers supporters former referees decided that the red card shown to Alfredo Morelos at Pittodrie in the opening weekend of the season for kicking Scott McKenna was not worthy of the red card issued on the day.
Steven Naismith, the Rangers supporting Hearts player was the next to test out the resolve of the 3 Rangers supporters former referees who meet to decide such matters at Hampden.
Naismith had a kick at the injured Jonny Hayes while the Celtic man was on the ground. He later admitted that ‘the red mist’ had come down on him and we was shown standing over Hayes, still flat on the ground, and screaming at him.
The 3 Rangers supporters former referees where quick to review this kick on the Celtic player and given the Morelos decision a few weeks earlier, taken by 3 Rangers supporters former referees they decided that the Rangers supporting Hearts player should face no sanction.
On Sunday it was Allan McGregor’s turn to kick a Celtic player – he had his kick, everyone saw it, his manager Steven Gerrard even reckoned he should have been sent off, Celtic were denied the penalty, but today the 3 Rangers supporters former referees could not agree on whether his assault on the Norwegian youngster was worthy of punishment.
The message is becoming clear. You can kick Celtic players all you like because Rangers supporters the SFA will not punish you.
Wonder what will happen if a Celtic player decides to have a kick at an opponent?
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