Brendan Rodgers will miss just one game for Celtic after his raging rant about the standard of officiating in their defeat to Hearts.
The fuming Parkhead boss was slapped with a charge for breaching SFA Disciplinary Rule 72 which forbids players or managers from criticising officials 'in such a way as to indicate bias or incompetence on the part of such match official.' Given the Celtic boss literally used the word 'incompetent' and referenced VAR John Beaton by name, it felt inevitable he was going to face some sort of ban for his tirade.
In the end, Rodgers will miss this weekend's clash with Livingston, but will return in time to face Rangers next weekend after he was hit with a one game ban with one suspended - crucially not the flat two-game ban the club vowed to battle against. The help of renowned sports lawyer Nick De Marco, who Record Sportrevealed they drafted in, went some way towards keeping him in the dugout for Ibrox.
It's far from the first recorded instance of a manager being hit by a ban for breaching this specific rule. Record Sport have taken a look through the history books for some of the other notable examples.
Peter Houston (October 2015)
The then-Falkirk boss was left raging with whistler John McKendrick for his display in a 3-1 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox back when Gers were in the Championship. He felt Danny Wilson should have saw red while also hit out at ''the poorest decision I've seen for years''. after Tom Taiwo was penalised for a foul which led to Nicky Law's goal. He also intimated the referee was influenced by the Rangers backroom team at half-time.
Verdict: One game ban (+1 suspended)
Neil Lennon (March 2018)
Hibs manager Lennon was kept off the touchline for the first three games of the 2018/19 season after his touchline performance after his side's remarkable 5-5 draw with Rangers. His famous 'aeroplane' celebration saw him hit with a three-game ban in total - one for misconduct, and another two that were carried over from a previous suspended ban. That's because in March, he had unleashed at Kevin Clancy, and was charged for both misconduct on the pitch and breaching Rule 72 with his post-match comments.
Verdict: 3 game ban (+ 2 suspended)
Craig Levein (January 2019)
Hearts boss Levein claimed it was like 'playing against 12 men' when Hearts lost 2-1 to Rangers back in January 2019. That didn't go down well with the match official, and he was soon hit with the standard notice of complaint by the compliance officer. He sat in the stands for their Scottish Cup tie with Livingston that month.
Verdict: 1 game ban (+ 1 suspended)
Steve Clarke (May 2019)
Now Scotland boss Clarke was banned from the touchline for his final game as Kilmarnock manager in 2019 - the one before his famous 'bye bye Rangers' post-match debrief. That was due to comments about Steven McLean, who he said delivered 'the worst performance I have ever seen in my career' in their defeat to Aberdeen. He missed their clash with Rangers and should he ever return to management at club level in Scotland, there is a further one-game ban awaiting him.
Verdict: 2 game ban (+1 suspended)
Stuart Kettlewell (October 2020)
Beaton was in the cross hairs of Kettlewell back in 2020 when the Ross County gaffer claimed he'd been 'treated like a second half citizen' when he was sent to the stands against Livingston. He also faced a charge of misconduct which meant a hefty disciplinary sentence landed on his lap.
Verdict: 3 game ban (+2 suspended)
John Hughes (May 2021)
And another Ross County boss in Yogi was out of the Dingwall dugout for two games the following year when he claimed certain officials have a 'personality bypass' when they put a uniform on. The first game of his ban was against Hamilton, where he joined their manager Brian Rice in the stand - since he was also serving a ban.
Verdict: 2 game ban (+ 2 suspended)
