Bernardo booking shows it’s one rule for Celtic and another for the Rangers

There has been so much attention about the award of a penalty to theRangers in the Glasgow Derby on Sunday that other incidents have not received the attention that you would normally expect given the importance of that match.

I.4m audience 

Indeed the importance can be demonstrated by Sky Sports today revealing that over 1.4m people watch the game on television, creating a new record for the Scottish Premiership. And few if any matches broadcast by Sky Sports can claim to have been as enthralling, controversial, dramatic and entertaining as that match.

🔢 More than 1.4m viewers tuned into Sky Sports for Sunday’s gripping 3-3 draw between Rangers and Celtic.

It’s a new record for an SPFL match 🔽

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) April 9, 2024

Yang head-knock

There are numerous incidents that could be discussed, John Beaton not stopping play for the head-knock Yang suffered for one. He only blew up to allow treatment after theRangers attack had broken down. We could also talk about the bookings dished out to Celtic players for very little and in the case of Nicolas Kuhn for some imaginary offences he’d apparently committed in areas of the park he was nowhere near.

Lets talk about why John Beaton continued play when Yang had a head knock.

Absolute no excuses not to stop play. pic.twitter.com/60BpC4U8hN

— Celtic Curio (@Celticcurio) April 7, 2024

Cheating antics

Or going into theRangers penalty incident – putting that to one side – but the two players involved were Alistair Johnston and Fabio Silva. One was on a yellow card due to the cheating antics of the other who really should have been booked for this Portuguese pantomime earlier in the match. Johnston’s yellow card was issued by Beaton perhaps influenced by the play-acting.

Is this for real?
Zero bookings for Rangers in that game.

The state of this guy. pic.twitter.com/8eAE5LkVZD

— Lint (@Zeshankenzo) April 8, 2024

But leave that to one side too. Let’s instead talk about Cyriel Dessers’ goal celebrations before Beaton was sent to the VAR screens to disallow the goal (correctly) for a foul on Tomoki Iwata further up the park.

You will recall that Luis Palma was booked for taking his shirt off after scoring against Lazio in the Champions League but the goal was later ruled out for an incredibly tight offside call. But Palma’s yellow stood and he subsequently had to sit out the game in Madrid through suspension.

Removed the corner flag

When Dessers scored he ran off the pitch, removed the corner flag and waved it at theRangers supporters. John Beaton didn’t book him and to be honest that was the right call. Fair enough, no harm done and obviously there were no away fans there to antagonise, so it was never going to cause any trouble.

Pelted with coins

Had Daizen Maeda, Matt O’Riley or Adam Idah done the same thing when they scored then Beaton most certainly would have booked the Celtic player. Now, that’s fair enough too because it could inflame the already toxic situation at Glasgow Derby matches at Ibrox where trouble is never far away.

As John Kennedy found out when he was pelted with coins or Matt O’Riley as he narrowly escaped being hit by a bottle thrown by some West of Scotland football supporter.

Cast your minds back to 30 December when Paulo Bernardo opened the scoring in the Glasgow Derby. He too ran to the corner to celebrate with the Celtic supporters. A few burst out of the standing section and the Portuguese was booked by Nick Walsh. Paulo was rather astonished to see the yellow card and so were we all.

No away supporters were at Celtic Park that day. The fans came to Bernardo. He did not remove the nearby corner flag. Yet he was booked. It seems that it’s not only on penalties that theRangers are operating under different rules in these matches invariably where the officials are also supporters of the latest Ibrox club.

Are Celtic asking questions like these?