Authorities can’t turn blind eye to Gerrard’s outburst

DAMNED if they don’t. Guaranteed to unleash a particularly Scottish type of hell if they do. You know how it will look if the SFA don’t charge Steven Gerrard for his ill-advised dive into the dark world of football conspiracies, don’t you? As if they’re running scared of the new boy. A thought to gladden the hearts of Rangers fans from Govan to the Golspie. But hardly the right tone to set this early in a relationship that, lest we forget, should be built on mutual respect. It remains open to question whether Gerrard — consistently measured, articulate and balanced in his comments prior to the Premiership kick-off — actually believed what he was saying in the aftermath of Sunday’s draw at Pittodrie. For all we know, his agendafuelling comments carried all the credibility of Pedro Caixinha slipping ‘we are the people’ into an interview. But the hackneyed old claptrap aired in the heat of the moment really should provoke some official censure. Complaining about refereeing decisions and asserting — on the basis that he’s watched some possibly selective footage — that ‘it’s been happening for seasons’, the former Liverpool great demanded ‘answers’. Not that he was going to take it up directly with the SFA, mind. When asked about that, he fell back on the: ‘You can’t fight City Hall’ defence. ‘It is what it is,’ he said. ‘I can’t control if the issue is going to be ongoing. All I can do is give my opinion on it.’ Yes. Well. Quite. There’s a problem with that. Under SFA rules, you’re not allowed to criticise match officials on the basis of competence or character. And the inference behind Gerrard’s assertion was clear. Refs have it in for Rangers. Always have, always will. If he didn’t mean that, let him say so. Should he stick to his guns, the absence of an SFA charge will raise eyebrows. And questions the next time another SPFL boss lands in hot water for going over the top in a post-match rant. Of course, there’s nothing inherently wrong with even a former Anfield favourite like Gerrard channelling his inner Fergie from time to time. But there is a fine line between creating a successful us-andthem siege mentality — and feeding the dark paranoia of those who believe the world really is against their club. The Rangers manager should steer clear of such low tactics. And the authorities cannot, surely, indulge him. For his own sake, if nothing else. Left unchecked, perhaps even emboldened by getting away with a first offence, this wouldbe leader of men could quickly come to Julius Caesar not as portrayed by some legend of the Shakespearean canon — but as sent up by Kenneth Williams, loudly lamenting: ‘Infamy! Infamy! They’ve all got it infamy!’