Ever since Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos was retrospectively banned last week, it’s sparked plenty of conversation around the disciplinary process in Scotland.
This politicised re-refereeing of matches has been commandeered by angry supporters with Celtic striker Albian Ajeti being cited in a move which softens the blow of Scott Brown’s elbow.
Forget the fact it’s justified, it just feels like a cheap political get-out-of-jail card from the SFA trying to appease every side of the most partisan arguments around.
Rangers have demanded consistency in the decision-making process and whilst it’s obviously not clear if the Ajeti dive is in response to this or not, a Celtic player has now been cited and I suppose, evened up the score?
This is fundamentally flawed and we’re going about this the wrong way – there are mistakes in every game and that’s what we should be looking to resolve.
Not just the ones which appear on the telly, days later, with screaming supporters and pundits shovelling on the pressure.
We shouldn’t be arguing about this on Twitter in the aftermath of incidents, we should resolve them at source. All retrospective action does is give rise to conspiracies and politicise the game of football.
It helps those with agendas in the press push them further and just causes this negative, bitter national conversation which misrepresents the passion fans have for their clubs in Scotland.
There’s moonhowling aplenty about Kemar Roofe, Rangers fans wanted Brown banned, and such has been fall-out from Morelos-gate, the airwaves, television, Twitter and forums are awash with vengeful voices from every club demanding retrospective action for one incident or another.
It’s a smite on the game in Scotland and for me, an archaic by-product of the kind of political governance and placemen culture which holds back football in our country.
The whole concept of the Compliance Officer screams Peter Lawwell and as the boardroom manoeuvring Celtic chief manoeuvres his way out of Parkhead for the final time, let’s hope it signals a change in the culture of football governance in Scotland.
It is long overdue and honestly – not even just from a Rangers perspective – Scottish football should be saying good riddance to the culture which Lawwell led. It holds every club back.
It’s time to bin this retrospective nonsense – seriously – it causes nothing but friction and for me doesn’t even resolve issues at their very core.
Only the most serious and glaringly obvious, dangerous incidents merit this kind of treatment.
It’s a regressive policy and process and a continuing embarrassment to the game of football in Scotland – a system for those who prefer to do their battling in the boardroom rather than on the football pitch.
Instead, we should be investing heavily into referees, VAR and any other tools which can assist officials in the moment and stop this political re-refereeing of matches.
I bet all those Hampden meetings don’t come cheap either.
Stop the trial by Sportscene, clamp the conspiracies, put the power back into the hands of the officials and develop them with an elite level mentality and process.
Football is changing, and the disciplinary process in Scotland is stark evidence that we as a country are struggling to keep up.
Rangers fans have also raised eyebrows about the suggestion Kemar Roofe injured Murray Davidson in a challenge some have called for retrospective action for.
