Gordon Dalziel believes the SFA sat on the fence after Brendan Rodgers learned that he will be in the dugout for the game between Rangers and Celtic after receiving just a one-match touchline ban.
A caller phoned into Clyde 1 Superscoreboard on Thursday (28 March) and accused the governing body of being too lenient with its ruling over the Hoops manager’s suspension, with Dalziel admitting that it “works out perfectly” for the 51-year-old to be in the dugout at Ibrox on 7 April.
He praised the Northern Irishman for hiring a “top-class lawyer” in London-based Nick De Marco and revealed he is pleased with the SFA’s ruling as it’s the first time in a long time that Scottish football is “exciting” and has had a title race between the Old Firm sides.
“It’s almost like a draw,” said the caller. “If he’d got banned for two games, you’d have no Rangers fans on your show tonight because it would be filled with Celtic fans calling it a conspiracy, trying to help Rangers win the league because they’re going bust and all the other stuff you get.
“If he hadn’t got banned, Rangers fans would be going crazy, so they kind of went in the middle. They’ve banned him for a game and suspended it, it just doesn’t add up for me.”
“Listen, I’ve been up in front of the SFA with this as a manager as well, but a long time ago,” said Dalziel. “Look, I do think that the SFA have sat on the fence a little bit, I think it works out perfectly for everybody. I’m quite happy that Brendan Rodgers is in the dugout for the game.
“This is the first time in a long while that Scottish football’s exciting, we’ve got a title race, two teams going head-to-head for it. I’d much rather Brendan Rodgers be in the dugout. If Celtic go and win next week and win the title, fair dos, congratulations.
“If Rangers go and do it, then Celtic fans can’t come back and say ‘well, they tried everything because they put our manager in the stands’. I’m happy with the way it’s turned out. Brendan Rodgers walked in there with a top-class lawyer, the guy obviously knows what he’s doing and it’s worked out well for him.”
SFA made safe Brendan Rodgers decision for Rangers v Celtic
It was a pretty safe decision from the SFA to only ban Rodgers for the Celtic game against Livingston to avoid there being too much drama ahead of the Ibrox showdown.
While many felt it should have been a lengthier ban, it means neither club will have any advantage heading into the Old Firm clash.
At the end of the day, it’s what the players do out on the pitch that really counts and the Gers will be looking to put things right after suffering two defeats against their Glasgow rivals this season.
Philippe Clement will be hoping to achieve his first success over the Hoops in his bid to help the Light Blues lift the title this season.
There will still be a bit of back and forth over the next few days over whether Rodgers should be allowed to be on the touchline at Ibrox, but the focus will quickly shift towards the action on the field ahead of what is a huge game.
