Forty eight hours after the event, the SFA has finally moved to charge the Ibrox women’s assistant coach over his deplorable head-butt on Fran Alonso.
He is deemed to have broken Disciplinary Rule 77, which reads that;
“A recognised football body, club, official, Team Official, other member of Team Staff, player, match official or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall, at all times, act in the best interests of Association Football. Furthermore such person or body shall not act in any 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.”
There does not appear to be a fixed penalty here, and we cannot base our conclusion of what punishment he’s likely to get from prior cases; Rule 77 is usually cited along with other offenses.
When Kyle Lafferty got a ten match ban recently he was cited under Rule 77 as well as Rule 81. It was Rule 81 that carried the mandatory ten game ban. After making derogatory comments about Ryan Porteous, Jim Goodwin was charged under Rule 73 and Rule 77. When Ibrox’s players got six match bans over COVID breaches they were cited under Rule 77 as well as we Rule 24.
Both the Ibrox club and were charged under both Rule 19 and Rule 77 over Mike Ashley’s dual ownership issues. That charge gives the SFA plenty of scope, but I find it difficult to understand why he’s not being charged with straight-up violent conduct too.
The thing is, we don’t know what to expect here.
This could be a heavy punishment or it could be a slap on the wrist. In addition to SFA action there will probably be a separate hearing under the auspices of the SWPL. The police are also considering the matter and this is not likely to be influenced by whether or not Celtic and Alonso want to proceed. Police action doesn’t work that way.
So the matter will be adjudicated on 13 April. Maybe before then the Ibrox club will issue a statement apologising to Fran Alonso and Celtic. I am not holding my breath for that though.
There actually is a standard punishment for rule 77. It can be found on page 87. The penalty is either a 2, 4, or 8 match suspension for players or team staff.
https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/media/9962/sfa_jpp-2022-23_digital-jan23-update.pdf
They apologise for nothing!
They are the peepul!
No one likes them they don’t care!
Used to think this was their moronic support but this is the mantra of the board!
Yep and it always was!! Apprarthied signing policy , racist right wing support , ex players like fat Johnstone and McDonald validating the anti Catholic policy on BBC only a game!! Willie Waddell in the 1974 German made docu about bs “O f”defending the same policy while joking about kicking the dog instead of” the wife”! All on record utter poison
Even at the top end of the sanction (8 games) the SFA is on course to bring the game into disrepute. Would you encourage your daughter to get involved in an activity where inter-personal violence is met with a token slap on the wrist?
If you are a board member of a top of the range, desirable, potential sponsor of the Scottish game, would you pump money into and enter into a partnership with a sport which turns a blind eye to criminal violence?
With eyes wide shut, the SFA will continue to protect sevco at the expense of the game which they are entrusted to protect.
Don’t be naive enough to expect anything else.
When is the powers that be at celtic, going to realise that an attack on our support, players and staff is an attack on our club
Like everyone else the police have to consider whether a criminal act (assault) took place. Before reading Masonic guidelines and exonerating him.
Blaming Celtic of not realising what you said above is absolute nonsense, they have to follow the rules as enacted by the SFA and/or the police, they can’t do anything else. Celtic don’t hold any sway or power in this matter.
Again this is the remit PF office on the basis of the ‘alleged’ police investigation and if they ‘report’ it to enable this agency to consider prosecution proceedings. As an Irish Fenian I have my doubts
It was a cowardly attack and it should be punished, full stop.
However let’s not get our knickers in a fankle, it was not a vicious assault and if it happened on the street it would not be getting the over the top reaction that we are having now. We have all been there, lost the heid and regretted it. It’s not a hanging offence so let the powers that be deal with it and hand out a punishment to fit the crime. My biggest disappointment though, and I am not surprised, is that there has been no reaction from Ibrox….. that is shameful and unforgiveable.
If it happened on the street the guy would be done with assault at least. If it was done at your workplace the guy would get done for assault and likely sacked. If it happened anywhere out of work and you employers saw the evidence you would most likely be sacked.
Why is football any different.
There is no doubt the man has violent tendencies, would you like your daughter working for a bully and thug? Is he suited to a high pressured job which will become moreso as women’s footbal takes off more?
There is only one path for rangers to follow. Boot him oot. And I hope the polis charge him too.
On the night the BBC Scotland headline was “ Alonso involved in altercation”.