The Celtic star was sent off against Livingston on Sunday before subsequently deleting his social media accounts.
Charlie Christie, father of Celtic star Ryan Christie, has warned young players about the dangers of social media after the Hoops midfielder deleted his online presence in the wake of the Hoops’ Sunday defeat to Livingston, speaking on BBC Sportsound.
Christie was sent off in the Scottish Premiership encounter after a studs up challenge on Scott Robinson, putting his team on the back-foot in an eventual 2-0 loss.
It was a costly error and his father has admitted the player is “gutted” and “devastated” as a result.
After receiving heavy criticism from supporters, the player then took the step of removing himself from Twitter.
For Charlie, the abuse took things too far and he’s warned other young prospects about the dark side of social media sites.
Speaking to BBC Sportsound, the 53-year-old said: “I said to Ryan, ‘It’s not all plaudits, you have a lot since July, now its a minor setback.
“But its nothing compared to his injury setbacks. But the social media thing, he’s bigger than that. To me the abuse is incredulous. But that is modern society.
“I think it can be dangerous. Young players have got to be careful because for all the good sides there is a dark side to it as well.”
Likely to come back stronger
It’s worth noting that in the aftermath of the incident and subsequent social media fallout, Christie has received support from many Celtic fans who are backing him to return to form next time out. Some have also spoken out about the abuse he received.
As his father notes, Christie has suffered injuries and other setbacks in his career so far. He’s likely to come back from this one stronger.
His form over the last 12 months has been exceptional. After serving suspension he will no doubt become one of the first names on Neil Lennon’s teamsheet once again.
Scotland duty over the next week or so will give the player the chance to escape the goldfish bowl a little and focus on his football.
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