Chris Sutton has criticised the perspective offered by Dermot Gallagher regarding the officiating in Celtic’s contentious visit to Tynecastle.
During this match, which featured two penalties and a red card within the first half, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers publicly challenged the decisions made by the officials, particularly concerning a handball call against Tomoki Iwata.
Sutton expressed his frustration in the Daily Record, taking issue with Gallagher’s assessment of the officials’ performance. Gallagher had commended the consistency of the officials in making similar handball calls in Scotland, a stance that Sutton vehemently disagreed with.
“I saw ex-EPL ref Dermot Gallagher praising the officials for being consistent with these kind of handball calls in Scotland. Give me strength. Are we meant to congratulate them for consistently getting them wrong? So with all that went on I don’t blame Rodgers for being raging.”
Brendan Rodgers, meanwhile, faces potential sanctions from the Scottish Football Association following his critical comments. With a hearing scheduled for March 28, Rodgers could be hit with a minimum two-match touchline ban if found guilty of the charges. Despite this looming prospect, Rodgers has stood by his remarks, asserting in Friday’s pre-match presser that he has no regrets and intends to defend both himself and Celtic against the Notice of Complaint.
