Outspoken Clarke hit with twogame ban
BY ALAN MARSHALL STEVE CLARKE has been handed a suspended twogame ban following a marathon hearing at Hampden yesterday.
The Kilmarnock boss, who attended in person, was in the dock after his no-holds barred criticism of referee Willie Collum and the SFA’s disciplinary committee.
Kilmarnock were also charged for their manager’s comments that saw Clarke blast Collum for dismissing Gary Dicker in the 1-0 defeat by Hearts in August, as well as the independent panel’s subsequent failure to overturn the red card.
The Rugby Park outfit were hit with a suspended fine of £1000 during a session that kicked off at 9.30am and did not finish until the early evening.
Clarke’s comments saw Killie and their manager deemed guilty of breaking rule 77, which states no club or individual can act in a “manner which is improper or use any one, or a combination of, violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour”.
But the rancour between Kilmarnock and the SFA continues after the club criticised head of refereeing John Fleming this week.
Fleming wrote to a Dundee supporters group saying Jordan Jones’s failure to appeal a two-match ban for diving against the Dens Park side represented a tacit admission of guilt.