Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers bemoaned a “poor demonstration of officiating” after Olivier Ntcham was sent off in a goalless draw away to St Mirren on Friday.
The result gave Oran Kearney a point in his first game as Buddies boss but Rodgers was unhappy with the decision by referee Andrew Dallas to show French midfielder Ntcham a second yellow card for a tackle on St Mirren captain Stephen McGinn in the 36th minute.
“There were lots of incidents he (Dallas) got wrong, and for St Mirren as well,” said Rodgers. “The sending-off, for me, is not a second yellow card.
“If you watch it again, the first one is a booking and we take that.
“But before the second one there is an incident when Olivier makes contact with the ball and wins the ball, but the referee gives a free-kick against us.”
The former Liverpool manager added: “Then when you see it in the corner Olivier is running across to block the ball up the line and the St Mirren player is falling over as he plays it and at the same time Olivier slides but doesn’t have contact with the player.
“So from that — and it’s in the corner which makes it lively — then the referee falls for it and he gets a second yellow. For me it wasn’t a second yellow or a sending-off,” the Northern Irishman insisted. Kearney, however, was understandably delighted that his first game in charge of the Paisley club had yielded a point against the Scottish champions.
