On a day of was he/wasn’t he questioning, the SFA confirmed yesterday afternoon that Celtic captain Charlie Mulgrew was booked for his celebration in the Bhoystwo-one win against Aberdeen following his winner. Yes, a caution for having the audacity to score a goal for Celtic (maybe that was why) and sliding towards his adoring flock to take his plaudits from a few metres away – oh yeah, there was an advertising hoarding between the two, almost like one departing lover to another through airport plexiglass.
Charlie looks on in amazement as he is booked
I was disgusted with the defenders’ response to scoring a crucial goal – why… I hadn’t witnessed anything as audacious since, earlier that afternoon or on a few occasions the day before on reflection. With seventeen minutes of this crucial fixture left, that puts the much maligned and wound inflicting defence in a dangerous position when its main central defender is walking a tightrope. A few minutes later though the pressure subsided slightly as Aberdeen right-sided defender, Ryan Jack was dismissed for his second bookable offence – his first was for….you guessed it!
I have heard from a few sources that the atmosphere and sniping between the two sets of fans at their nearest juncture was quite fierce, but come on, its Aberdeen – the Rangers hating, sheep mocking outfit who Celtic usually put to the sword. For some of the brutal drubbings we have inflicted on their sorry souls we should really show some pity and even delight in the fact that they managed to penetrate our onion bag on a rare occasion. So again, Ryan Jack scored a great individual goal, that in itself gives him more of a right to a nice celebratory run and jig in front of the travelling fans – this time though he gets a lot nearer to the support and is but one beefy steward away from contact. The problem for the Don here also is that there is no advert for beer by which he can be halted, he is now off the pitch and in an unknown Odyssey between football and the reality of sweat, beer and beastiality dreams.
So what are these two bookings handed out for? The time taken between the ball hitting net and the kick off? – add it on at the end. Fans will be quicker to accept that if an injury time goal flies in due to excessive high fives and player surfing than being pegged back with a man down and a suspension to take into account. Possible inciting of violence if the opposing hordes take it the wrong way? Again you have to take individual cases on their merit dependant on the nature of the fixture – running in front of the Celtic fans to celebrate a goal in the Glasgow Derby isn’t the smartest move, and I feel Rangers have been fairly treated on the occasions when this has arisen almost to the point of the officials clambering on the backs of the players to get it up timmy even more. Unless you gesticulate to another set of fans, there should be no need for those supporters to be doing anything other than conducting a post-mortem into the defensive lapse which may have caused the goal.
Now stripping off is another thing, the police could get you for indecent exposure – or possibly the fashion equivalent for some of those string vests players sport under their strips. Why on earth are players cautioned for whipping off their tops, spinning them round their head and generally looking a bit mental?? Ravanelli with the masked man celebration, Middlesbrough fans started going to the Riverside just to join in with this spectacle. It’s fun and brings enjoyment to the fans, you can even hear the commentators sadness when relaying the news to fans caught up in the cacophony of living room jubilation “oh and he’s been cautioned for his troubles”.
The most ridiculous caution of the weekend came at Old Trafford when serial fucker upperer, Mario Ballotelli, scored his sides first goal on their way to a resounding demolition of United. The City player lifted his shirt over his head, whilst still donning said garment, to reveal a t-shirt saying “Why always me”, after the camera caught a glimpse he returned the shirt to its correct uniform and promptly strode back to the half way line. Now in the rules according to FIFA, the player shall be cautioned if he removes his shirt or covers his head with the shirt – so in essence Ballotellidid neither.
Ballotelli unfairly cautioned
The other cautionable offences are over excessive celebrations, provocative derisory or inflammatory gestures, or climbing onto perimeter fences. It is not an offence in itself to leave the pitch to celebrate a goal though (though it is essential to return quickly) – which calls into question a plethora of bookings which have been handed out in recent times. Common sense is a term banded about in regards to referees decision-making, for the worlds governing body to keep fans entertained, these restrictions should surely be reviewed.
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