The verdict at Brendan Rodgers' SFA hearing left the manager with a one-match ban following his comments after Celtic's defeat at Tynecastle against Hearts a few weeks ago.
The match in Gorgie was controversial to say the least, with a number of refereeing decisions coming under scrutiny. Yang Hyun-jun was dismissed after 16 minutes for an apparent high boot on Alex Cochrane, a decision that was heavily criticised by many supporters as well as pundits.
This decision was followed up by a penalty awarded to Hearts for what was deemed a deliberate handball by Tomoki Iwata, which left the Celtic manager bemused by the decisions after the game:
“The first one is the sending-off when there is no force. Show a still image of that and of course and you will see a foot up with the head near it, but it’s not the reality of the move.
“Don got it actually right on the field. It was a high boot, so it’s a yellow card – no malice or force.
“For John Beaton to actually look at that in VAR, supposedly under no pressure, and say that was a sending off? I find that incredible.
“The second one is WORSE. If you have a penalty go against you for that then there will be penalties every single weekend and midweek."
The Celtic manager later dropped in the word 'incompetent' which is what ultimately landed Rodgers in hot water with the authorities. Disciplinary rule 72 states that no football body, club, official or member of staff can criticise the performance of an official in an interview, blog or social media post in any way that indicates bias or incompetence on the referee's behalf.
Despite the ban being put into effect, it could be said that Rodgers got off lightly given that recent cases of breaches of disciplinary rule 72 have resulted in lengthy bans, whilst lesser cases have resulted in simply fines for managers and clubs.
Whilst Celtic and Brendan Rodgers may have lost the hearing after being punished with that one-match ban, looking ahead to future fixtures, Celtic will feel a lot more comfortable that it was ONLY a one match ban.
No derby Implications
The title race is as tight as it's been in over a decade. Rangers were ahead after defeating Hibs at Ibrox on Saturday, but Celtic returned to the summit against Livingston this afternoon, albeit with their rivals still having a game in hand before the split.
With the league as close as it is, the importance of getting the three points in derby matches is only heightened as Celtic have to win both remaining derbies to keep matters in their own hands.
Celtic cannot allow outside factors to influence their games, and the margins will be extremely fine for all remaining fixtures, so missing the manager for the trip to Ibrox next week could have had a real influence on the result.
Having the gaffer there alleviates any fears that may have been raised had Rodgers been absent, but having the manager on the touchline should provide Celtic with a real boost heading into such an important fixture.
James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie