Celtic express ‘surprise’ at lack of disciplinary charges following Rangers defeat and call for referee John Beaton to explain decisions publicly

CELTIC have expressed their ‘surprise’ at the Scottish FA’s decision not to bring any disciplinary charges following their defeat to Rangers on December 29.

A statement on the club’s website questioned the verdict of the SFA, who earlier this week said no charges would be brought against Ibrox striker Alfredo Morelos for three highlighted incidents.

The statement, which does not name Morelos, highlights one of the incidents, an alleged stamp on Anthony Ralston, and calls on the SFA to allow John Beaton to explain his refereeing decisions publicly.

It read: “Celtic Football Club is surprised that there will be no disciplinary action taken by the Scottish FA regarding the incidents during the match on December 29, which have been widely addressed in the media.

“It is reported that no action was taken because the match referee saw all of the incidents in question.

“Given that the referee took no action at the time, this tends to suggest that such conduct, which in one instance led to a Celtic player, Anthony Ralston, being injured, is acceptable in Scottish football. That cannot be right.”

Celtic say they have requested a meeting with Scottish FA Chief Executive, Ian Maxwell, and the Association’s Head of Refereeing following the match, which ended in a 1-0 win for Rangers.

The statement added: “On the day, Celtic did not play well enough to win the match, something we accept. However, this issue goes beyond the result of the match.

“Celtic is not the only club this season to raise concerns regarding the standard of officiating at matches in Scotland, concerns which have also been shared by many commentators on the game.

“In order to fully understand what is going on, Celtic, our supporters, Scottish clubs and the general Scottish football public need transparency in these matters, and we therefore call on the Scottish FA to allow the referee, John Beaton, to explain these decisions publicly as well as any match officials involved in other similar circumstances.”