Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has delivered a scathing response to the SFA’s decision to take no further action against Kilmarnock man Alan Power for his foul on Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack.
The Daily Record reported on Tuesday that nothing further would be done after Power connected with the face of Jack with his boot during a high challenge. The referee gave Power a yellow card, and he will now face no further sanctions.
Sutton was rather less than impressed: “Couldn’t make it up…,” he said on his personal Twitter account, before going into more detail in a later tweet.
“Scotland the only country in world football where you can kick someone in head and elbow someone deliberately in most people’s eyes and get let off… the Compliance Officer needs a Compliance Officer…,” he finished.
Couldn’t make it up… https://t.co/tPrq21d0ko
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) February 12, 2019
Scotland the only country in world football where you can kick someone in head and elbow someone deliberately in most people’s eyes and get let off… the Compliance Officer needs a Compliance Officer…
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) February 12, 2019
OPINION
It’s hard to argue with Sutton’s point of view, here. There have been a series of baffling decisions from the SFA this season, but this one might take the cake. It was a clear kick to the head of Jack, whether Power meant it or not. He was challenging for the ball, sure, but his studs went directly into Jack’s face. That cannot be allowed, and a yellow card isn’t adequate punishment for the offence. Sutton is correct, you couldn’t make this stuff up. The SFA is becoming a laughing stock, because they continue to allow incidents like this to go bizarrely unpunished. Whether anything can be done to change things remains to be seen, and it’s unlikely, quite frankly. However, this is untenable. There does need to be something done about this because it’s getting ridiculous now. You shouldn’t be able to blatantly kick someone in the head – or elbow them for that matter – and get away with it.