Good day for Brown as he escapes ban and extends his contract
Celtic captain Scott Brown will not be issued with a notice of complaint by the SFA compliance officer for his clash with Giannis Skondras of Hamilton Accies last Friday night.
Brown’s left boot appeared to make contact with Skondras’ face in the incident picked up by BT Sport cameras during the Scottish champions’ 4-1 win at the Superseal Stadium.
The 32-year-old – who yesterday signed a new contract extending his stay at Celtic until 2019 – faced the possibility of a suspension which could have ruled him out of the first Old Fim game of the season at Ibrox later this month. However, SFA compliance officer Tony Mcglennan has decided Brown has no case to answer.
That verdict was applauded by Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.
“I didn’t make much of it at the time,” said Rodgers. “I saw the two players cuddling during the game so didn’t think there was a big issue in it.
“I saw the player go to ground and Browny clip him in some way or the other. But very quickly I saw them cuddling each other on the edge of the box before a freekick. I don’t think it was a big problem for the players and certainly watching it again I don’t think it was.
“It was unintentional so I’m glad that that was the decision, if there was a decision to be made.”
Brown, now in his testimonial season with Celtic, will make the 88th European appearance of his career tonight in the opening Champions League Group B fixture against Paris Saintgermain in Glasgow.
“Scott has been a great captain here over many years,” added Rodgers. “He’s consistently played at a very high level.
“We’ve been talking about a new contract and it was just about getting through the Champions League qualification stages. So I’m delighted it’s been done now.”