Kilmarnock and their manager Steve Clarke have been handed suspended punishments following their criticism of the Scottish Football Association’s appeals process.
Clarke has been given a two-match suspended touchline ban and the club a suspended £1,000 fine following an SFA disciplinary hearing which the former St Mirren and Chelsea defender attended.
The 55-year-old had hit out at the governing body following a failed appeal against Gary Dicker’s sending-off against Hearts in August.
In a prepared statement at a media conference, Clarke stated that referee Willie Collum had lacked a “calm and rational” approach and speculated that “maybe smaller clubs like ourselves are fair game” after comparing their failed appeal with other successful challenges.
Clarke added: “As soon as I heard the news that the referee in question had been appointed to take charge of the first Old Firm match of the season before our hearing had taken place I knew that the decision would go against Kilmarnock. There’s no doubt that the perception of most and certainly of our club is that the hearing was pre-judged by this early appointment.”
The former West Brom and Reading boss was charged with criticising a match official in such a way as to indicate bias or incompetence and “bringing the game into disrepute”. Kilmarnock were accused of breaching a rule that states clubs must act in the best interests of football and not bring the game into disrepute.
After being charged, Clarke stated that he stood by his comments and branded the SFA unprofessional after they spelled his name wrong – Steven rather than Stephen.
The hearing came a day after Kilmarnock announced they had lodged a complaint with the SFA over comments made by head of referees John Fleming over a separate disciplinary issue involving winger Jordan Jones.
Fleming had stated that Kilmarnock’s decision not to challenge a two-match ban for diving indicated the club accepted Jones was guilty, but the Ayrshire outfit had earlier declared they only accepted the ban because of a lack of evidence with which to prove the winger’s innocence.
