Rangers have pointed the finger at Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic as part of their defence over Jon Flanagan’s citation for violent conduct in their derby day victory at Ibrox.
The Light Blues defender will have his conduct investigated by the SFA after appearing to elbow Hoops captain and midfielder Scott Brown during their 2-0 win with the potential of a ban if found guilty.
Rangers have vowed to back Flanagan over the decision and were left fuming over how Simunovic escaped punishment for what they deemed to be a similar incident involving Jermain Defoe.
In a statement from an Ibrox spokesperson, quoted by the Evening Times, they said: “Once again, there seems intent to change the decision of a Referee in a match involving Rangers. There seems to be a steady erosion of respect for Scotland’s Referees and the authority they are meant to enjoy under Rule 5 of the Laws of the Game.
“It is particularly shocking that another Rangers player has been singled out for retrospective action and issued with a notice of complaint while Jozo Simunovic, the Celtic player who used an elbow to fell Jermain Defoe, has escaped any kind of censure.
“It seems as if Rangers’ players are being held to a different code of conduct from players at other clubs. We shall vigorously defend Mr Flanagan and have also asked for full transparency on what matters are brought forward for retrospective action.”
Opinion
Rangers games against Celtic never fail to disappoint and this one has gone on well past the full time whistle. There is likely to be no defence which gets Flanagan off for his behaviour – it certainly looks like he elbowed Brown – but the Gers have every right to be fuming. Not only was Flanagan booked at the time, which surely means the referee has dealt with the issue there and then, but Simunovic looks to have got off without any sort of punishment despite another contentious incident. The standard of officiating has come under serious criticism in Scotland this season and when there is so much on the line you have to wonder if changes need to be made. Of course, Rangers and Celtic are always going to be in the spotlight because of how big they are as clubs but that should not change anything when the officials get involved. The same rules need to apply for all clubs and at the moment it is not looking like that is the case.