Neil Lennon says Celtic are “very angry” over the punishment dished out to Ryan Christie for an incident in our recent derby earlier this week.
The Scotland midfielder was charged with “violent conduct” following an incident in the defeat to Rangers last month. An SFA hearing on Monday upheld the two-game ban, while a third match was added on due to a red card picked up earlier in the season at Livingston. (BBC)
Christie will miss our first three matches of 2020 – against Partick Thistle, Kilmarnock and Ross County – and Lennon reckons his player has been treated unfairly.
“We’re obviously very unhappy about the Ryan Christie situation – we think there’s a real inconsistency there,” he told Sky Sports on Wednesday.
“We think he’s been very harshly treated when you consider some of the other situations that have occurred.
“We’ve been talking about this for a long time. We don’t understand it. Even looking at the incident, it’s very passive.
“For that to be deemed violent conduct, we’re left scratching our heads over it. We’re very angry about it.”
Celtic released a statement after Christie decision
Following Monday’s decision, Celtic released a pretty short statement sharing their disappointment at the outcome of the hearing, and saying that they would be letting the SFA know how they felt.
It read: “Celtic Football Club and Ryan Christie are extremely disappointed at the outcome of the hearing today.
“Given the recent treatment of Celtic players and the lack of sanctions being imposed on those responsible, the fact that a sanction has been imposed on Ryan for the incident in question demonstrates a worrying lack of consistency in the Scottish FA fast track process.
“Naturally, we will be contacting the Scottish FA regarding our concerns. Scottish football deserves a disciplinary process which is fair, consistent and fit for purpose.”
Strong Lennon words on Christie incident send out a good message
Given the watered-down nature of the club’s official statement, it’s really pleasing to see Lennon use such strong words in his comment.
At the end of the day we will have to accept the punishment as any other course of action could bring the game into disrepute. But we are perfectly entitled to make our feelings clear following such a shambolic decision, especially after rival players have got off with similar incidents in recent years.
Hopefully the decision can light a fire under Lennon and his team and they can use the perceived injustice to rally themselves for the second half of the season. Lennon loves a siege mentality from time to time. He may just have been given his chance to get that mindset going again here.
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