Celtic’s Rasmussen picks up a one match ban
Punishment not really fitting the crime
It is no surprise to see that the video review panel have found against Morten Rasmussen and Tim Clancy for their actions in the 6th round Active Nation Scottish Cup tie at Rugby Park.
The SFA have announced that both players will serve a one match ban after the incidents were examined by a panel which met in an underground cave just off the coast of Atlantis. Or in a room at Hampden where Viscount biscuits were served up on a fine china plate…one or the other, we can’t remember which.
The game that Rasmussen is scheduled to miss is potentially the biggest game of the post-split run of fixtures for Celtic.
They travel to Tannadice on Sunday 25th of April in a match between the two teams that are in the running for the final Champions League qualifier.
It is unlikely that Rasmussen would have been in contention for a starting place but he would have been an option to come off the bench in a game where Celtic cannot afford to lose. In fact, by the time the fixture comes around, it could become a must-win game for the hoops.
No one is complaining about the fact that Rasmussen was found guilty. Television evidence showed the incident very clearly and if the match officials spotted it at the time, they would have acted there and then with a red card. They didn’t so retrospective punishment was handed out by the video review panel.
That’s not a problem.
The problem lies in just how Rasmussen was selected for trial by television, especially when any reader of this site could recite a list of offences which were equal or worse than the elbow carried out by the Danish striker.
If retrospective punishment applies to one, it should apply to all or to no one and this is yet another area where the SFA have to come clean about their procedures.
Tim Clancy of Kilmarnock was also found guilty for stamping on Rasmussen in that Rugby Park Scottish Cup tie and he too will serve a one game ban. Clancy is due to miss out on the game versus St Mirren on the 24th of April.
With both sides involved in the relegation battle, this could be a big loss for Kilmarnock in their battle against the drop.
Again, the player deserved to be punished for his actions but Killie would have a case in saying “fair enough but what about such and such or so and so” and again, they should in an attempt to put the SFA under pressure to become more transparent in these decisions.
Both players have rightly been suspended, in fact, an argument could be made that both bans could have been longer and we wouldn’t argue with that. However, with so many players getting away with elbows, kicks to the groin and other off the ball incidents, Celtic and Kilmarnock have every right to feel aggrieved about being denied these players at a crucial point of the season.
What’s been the worst unpunished assault you’ve seen this season?
PS. If we focused on Kilmarnock as the lead story we’d have used the title “Nowadays, Clancy can’t even play” but that may have been too obscure Neil Young / Buffalo Springfield for most people.
PPS. We may return to it in the preview of that Saints and Killie game.
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The trial by television has been a tool almost exclusively used to punish players of the Old Firm, Clancy apart, can anyone give me a name of any other player successfully punished in this way?
The other absurd element of this, how the hell has it taken so long for someone to review it and pass on their comments?
Getting the submarine back from Atlantis….or finding Toffee Viscounts probably took a lot of time!
Hehe…no, we don’t know, its just one part of the process we’d like to know more about…supposedly they’ll say it takes time to get three busy people together in one room to discuss it.
Not that technology would allow for people to watch video footage in their own home and office – in fact, would it not be preferrable to have three people sit apart and provide their opinions…three people sat together could easily acquiesce behind the loudest / most experienced or first to speak!