SUTTON: IS THIS A STITCH UP TO STOP CELTS'10?
It’s only explanation for letting off Morelos .. our game is a laughing stock
RANGERS wrote a letter slaughtering Willie Collum. Will they now be sending John Beaton a note of gratitude?
Make no mistake, the referee and the SFA have done the Ibrox club a massive favour by letting Alfredo Morelos off the hook.
They’ve also made Scottish football look like a stitch-up.
A friend of mine called yesterday afternoon after the decision was announced and said: “I know there are all these conspiracies in Scottish football but letting Morelos off just makes it look like the SFA want Rangers to win the league.”
I had no answer to him. What could I say? That’s exactly what it looks like.
Face it, this ridiculous nondecision leaves the SFA wide open to accusations of corruption.
Look, this is not a case of sour grapes. I said in my column earlier in the week Rangers were the better team, they deserved to win the match and Morelos is the best striker in the league.
Take nothing away from Rangers, their performance was exceptional.
But any sane supporter in Scotland will admit Morelos was extremely fortunate to stay on the pitch. Simple as that.
If they had applied the rules correctly then El Buffalo would have been on the end of three separate red cards.
That means three bans, six games, or even more if they pushed him through the disciplinary points totting up threshold.
But yet again it looks like the SFA have bottled it.
They know there would have been a huge outcry from Ibrox.
However, if that’s the reason Beaton has stuck to his guns then it’s either cowardice or corruption ... take your pick.
Given the Rangers reaction to the Daniel Candeias red card at St Mirren when they flamed Collum you have to wonder if the SFA were scared of a similar response this time around. If so that is completely wrong. That decision was a poor one but it doesn’t mean you don’t judge every subsequent one on their own merits.
Failing to do so is the very definition of corruption.
How the heck can Beaton say he saw the three incidents and didn’t deem any of them to be red cards? It’s unbelievable.
This carry-on sends out the wrong message about Scottish football – yet again.
What are we dealing with here, the Wild West? Is it a case of anything goes?
Beaton and the SFA are effectively telling everyone in the game it’s okay to boot a rival player in the nuts.
There’s no problem grabbing someone’s private parts – unless you are Steven MacLean.
It’s fine if you want to stamp on someone.
That’s what the SFA are telling the kids in Scotland who are looking to make their way in the game.
It’s preposterous and genuinely alarming.
These are the kind of decisions that are not just influencing young people, they are making Scottish football a laughing stock beyond its own borders.
How will clubs entice players to come north of the border when the game looks completely lawless up here? Come on up lads, the league is exciting and competitive but, be careful, you might get the odd boot in the b ****** s. It’s beyond a joke. This is not even the first time this season the disciplinary system has fallen apart. It has been happening all year.
You go back to the Morelos red card at Aberdeen being overturned, the Mikey Devlin sending off, Gary Dickers, Allan McGregor kicking out at Kris Ajer, the list is going on and on.
The buffoonery of the beaks is off the scale and the lot of them should resign in shame.
The bungling referees, the ex-ref old boys’ network, the compliance officer – clearly none of them are fit for purpose.
They should all walk for being completely stupid.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a player for Rangers, Celtic or whoever, right-minded people have a handle on what is right and wrong.
Beaton will have had the chance to watch the incidents again, slow them down and analyse them properly.
To come away with the same conclusion is beyond belief and the SFA should have the ability to step in and deal with the situation if the referee is unwilling or unable to take the responsibility.
It would have been a travesty if Celtic got anything from the game last week. But it’s a bigger travesty Morelos has managed to get off scot free.
Any sane fan in Scotland will admit Morelos was fortunate to stay on pitch SUTTON