January 7 – Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie has been slapped with a ban after being found guilty of grabbing Rangers’ Colombian forward Alfredo Morelos by the genitals during the recent derby between Scotland’s two rival Glasgow giants.
Christie grabbed Morelos in the groin area during Rangers’ high-profile 2-1 win at Celtic Park on December 29.
He was subsequently charged with violent conduct by the Scottish Football Association and a fast-track tribunal found him guilty, upholding a two-game ban, with a further one added due to a previous red card.
Celtic have vowed to defend Christie “vigorously” and stated they were “astonished” by the SFA charge.
“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,” a club statement said.
“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.”
Morelos himself could still be hit with retrospective action over a cut-throat gesture he made towards Celtic fans after he was sent off in the closing seconds of the top of the table fixture.
Rangers claimed Morelos had been subjected to racial abuse and claimed his gesture was “used commonly throughout South America to indicate quite simply that something – in this case, the match – is finished”.
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