John Collins is the latest former Celtic player and Parkhead figure to rail against Rangers’ appeal of the Covid Five bans handed out by the SFA ahead of the Old Firm this weekend.
Nathan Patterson, Bongani Zungu, Calvin Bassey, Brian Kinnear, and Dapo Mebude broke Covid regulations to attend a gathering which was broken up by police in February.
Rangers fined the players and forced them into a period of self-isolation before accepting an apology and welcoming the group back into the squad.
Since then, the players have been handed six-game bans in total, with two of those matches suspended, but Rangers have now appealed the bans.
This has freed the likes of Nathan Patterson up to face Celtic this weekend (18/04/21) – with the appeal hearing not set until the following week (20/04/21).
Celtic are furious and have reportedly demanded an explanation from the SFA whilst amid an injury crisis at right-back for Rangers, ex-Celtic Park midfielder Collins has accused the Ibrox club of “playing the system”.
“In my opinion, they’ve used the system,” Collins told BBC Sportsound [12/04/21].
“Tavernier is out, injured, their only real right-back is the young lad, so they’ve played the system.
“They’ve tried to delay the process, well they have delayed the process, which meant they had a right-back available for the last Old Firm game.
“They’re going to have a right-back available on Sunday. So it’s worked.
“The SFA, once again, their system is flawed. The process should have been much quicker and the question should have been asked straight away, ‘why are you appealing something that you’re not going to win?’
“He’s broken the rules, they’ve broken the rules.”
Any suggestion that Rangers have appealed this ban so that Patterson could be available to play Celtic is patently incorrect.
Rangers launched an appeal regarding the ban on the 2nd of April 2021, with the Scottish Cup draw made two days later on the 4th.
Unless Rangers have some kind of crystal ball, then how could they possibly have appealed this ban to make Patterson available against Celtic? For all Rangers knew, they’d be drawing Montrose.
Any suggestion Rangers appealed the ban to have Patterson available against Celtic is therefore completely false.
Whatever your opinion on the matter, clubs are always going to take advantage of the system to work in their favour.
For Rangers to be criticised by “Tour of Japan we need time to grieve” Celtic is an outright joke and if the Gers are going to take criticism from anyone in this regard, it won’t be from them, that’s for sure.
Speaking of the BBC, the broadcaster has responded to over 1000 complaints regarding comments made by one of their pundits on the Glen Kamara Slavia Prague incident.
