Jon Flanagan was shown a yellow card early in the second half of Rangers' 2-0 win against Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon.
Referee Kevin Clancy did so after the Rangers defender swung a forearm at Celtic captain Scott Brown. Clancy told Brown that it was only a yellow card because Flanagan had not made contact with his face. Replays suggested otherwise, as did Brown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?1=&v=bbrXBdDgZ_4
Speaking after the game, Neil Lennon said that a red card should have been issued.
"How the referee has not given that as a red card I don’t know," the Celtic manager is quoted as saying by the Glasgow Evening Times.
It’s an elbow into his face.
Their bench is shouting, ‘It’s him (Brown) again’ but it’s a clear elbow into his face.
Jon has got his hands up first of all. Broony is moving to get away and then he elbows him in the jaw. It’s a straight red card, it’s totally unacceptable and unacceptable for the referee not to give a red card.
Now I’m not distracting away from the rest of the game where we were second best.
But the laws of the game are it’s a red card. You can dress it up anyway you want. You elbow somebody in the face, you’re off. So they’ve got away with one there.
"Yeah, another one to the face," Brown said regarding the incident.
"Surprisingly, somebody didn’t see that again. He [Clancy] said it was a yellow because it didn’t hit me in the face. But it’s part and parcel.
"There’s always a linesman there who can see it from the corner flag. There are two people there, both said they didn’t properly see it, so it’s a hard one for them."
