Philippe Clement could face SFA action after comments he shouldn’t have uttered in wake of Celtic vs Rangers
Rangers manager Philippe Clement was enraged following his team’s loss to Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup final, a defeat that came after a dramatic 3-3 draw and penalty shootout at Hampden Park.
Keith Hackett, a former Premier League referee, criticized Clement’s response to being denied a penalty in the final. He described the manager’s comments as “crass” and warned that Clement could face repercussions for his remarks.
Clement’s frustration stemmed from a foul on Vaclav Cerny by Liam Scales, with the shirt pull occurring just outside the Celtic box and seemingly continuing into it. Despite this, referee John Beaton did not award a penalty, and VAR did not instruct him to review the incident. After the match, Clement expressed his disbelief, calling the decision “decisive” and “really weird” during his press conference. He also urged journalists to “dig into” the failure to review the penalty situation, a statement Hackett believes could lead to disciplinary action.
Hackett responded to Clement’s remarks, stating, “Clement is welcome to express his concerns to the FA or speak to Willie Collum, the head of refereeing. However, questioning a referee’s integrity, as these comments seem to, is a matter for the Scottish FA to address. Referees do not question players’ errors, and the proper channels are in place for him to voice his concerns. These kinds of comments undermine the integrity of the competition. It’s a crass statement that should not have been made.”
Clement had been particularly frustrated with the VAR failure to recommend a review, focusing his anger less on the referee and more on the lack of communication. “My phone is overloaded with messages about the penalty situation,” he said. “That’s a decisive moment in the game. The referee missed it, and VAR didn’t advise him to check the screen, which is a very strange situation for me.”
As he left the press conference, Clement added, “I hope you all really dig into this, thank you,” signaling his desire for further scrutiny of the incident.
The controversy surrounding the missed penalty has prompted a significant response, with Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart writing to the Scottish FA for clarification. SFA’s head of refereeing, Willie Collum, has acknowledged that the penalty should have been awarded, stating, “It’s wrong, and we need to understand why we got it wrong. We must learn from this incident and improve.”
