Lafferty Must Be Punished For His Scandalous Act Of Cheating

Rangers fans and players can harp on about the "goal that never was" against Hibernian in midweek, till they are blue in the face, that was down to a split second judgement call by an official unsighted by the goal post. However the scandalous act of Kyle Lafferty taking a swan dive and feigning injury, after an apparent headbutt from Aberdeen defender Charlie Mulgrew, should demand all Rangers fans hang their head in shame over a blatant act of cheating by one of their players.

The fans come out of the cracks in their hundreds to voice their opinions on how referees have cheated them out of games, how the opposition have been given decisions against them, yet where were these same fans saying that Kyle Lafferty was nothing more than a cheat? His antics led to Charlie Mulgrew being sent off, when TV replays showed plain as day that it was Lafferty who stuck his head out towards Mulgrew and not the other way around.

Now the same TV footage must be used by the SFA review committe to hammer Kyle Lafferty for his blatant cheating and unsportsmanlike behaviour in this match, especially given recent days the calls for both Scott McDonald and Glenn Loovens to both be hammered for their late tackles on Lee Wilkie and Maurice Edu respectively. There is a difference between a late tackle and blatant cheating, and Lafferty has brought the game into disrepute, in fact he has shamed Rangers FC with his antics.

If Rangers do go on to win the title, then it will be remembered more for that incident than the football on show this season itself. In fac,t if the referee had taken the appropriate measure in the first place to punish Lafferty instead of Mulgrew, yesterday’s scoreline would have certainly been different.

It might sound presumptious or hypothetical to state that Aberdeen would have kept a clean sheet, but would they have conceded that own goal if Lafferty was not waiting to pounce, if he had been sent off? Would Aberdeen have allowed such a ball to be played into their box in the first place?

Now why target Charlie Mulgrew? Only one reason—his lethal left peg. Lafferty’s wink towards a fellow player reeks of what Daniel Cousin did to Stephen McManus earlier in the season, when he blatantly went in with the intent of causing damage only to see McManus being stretchered off.

On that day Cousin smiled and winked towards Rangers assistant Ally McCoist, so is it the management’s mentality to get their players to go out and injure players or get the threats sent off by any means necessary? Is the stress of the title race getting to the Rangers management, who if they do not secure the title will be out on their ear, looking for new jobs?

If the tackles of Loovens and McDonald are to be punished by the SFA committee, then Lafferty should be hammered for his cheating. Players get booked for blatant dives on the pitch, so what should Lafferty’s punishment be, given that he was booked for the late tackle on Mulgrew in the first place? And if all three are to be punished, why wasn’t Allan McGregor punished for his tackle on Hearts Calum Elliot earlier in the season? Or Barry Ferguson grabbing an Aberdeen player, Chris Maguire, round the throat punished also?

Allan McGregor and Barry Ferguson were banned from ever playing for Scotland again after a booze session and sticking their two fingers up at the press. Now what does Lafferty deserve from the SFA for deliberately getting a fellow professional footballer sent off when it was Lafferty who made the move with his head in the first place? And who then winked in amusement, in celebration towards a fellow Rangers player.

The game was also blighted by the sending off of Madjid Bougherra, who made a dangerous lunge on Aberdeen keeper Jamie Langfield, catching him square in the face with his studs. Bougherra was applauded off the pitch by the Rangers supporters who voted him their "Player of the Year" as if he had done nothing wrong with the fans then chanting “Who’s the f****n in the black” - a clear violation of Scottish football’s anti-sectarian rules towards referee Staurt Dougal. What punishment will befall the Rangers support in regards to another one of their chants?

Walter Smith said afterwards that he would have a word with the Northern Irish international, but I doubt it would be nothing more than a well done and maybe a wee slap on the wrist for getting caught winking. Nothing will come of it from Rangers side, it is now up to the SFA to stand up and be counted. If they have the guts to do so that is.