Jermain Defoe of Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers might be in hot water.
Steve Clarke has suggested to The Record that Rangers striker Jermain Defoe should perhaps get a retrospective ban if he is found guilty of simulation.
Rangers were awarded four penalties from referee Andrew Dallas in Saturday’s 4-0 drubbing of St Mirren. James Tavernier scored two, missed one, and Defoe converted the other.
Tavernier’s second penalty came back off the post after the legendary English striker went to ground under very little contact, infuriating St Mirren.
One of Clarke’s Kilmarnock players, Jordan Jones, was slapped with a two-match ban earlier this season for simulation, and the Killie boss is ‘looking forward’ to seeing what happens with the Gers hitman.
He told The Record: “There was a media furore [when Jones divded]. A witch hunt against the player. Nothing on the same scale from Saturday’s game, Rangers versus St Mirren.
“Hopefully the compliance officer [Clare Whyte] will do her job. It doesn’t affect us, I am not particularly advocating [a sanction], but I just want consistency.
“So if our player gets a two-game ban, I look forward to seeing what happens this week.”
Clarke is right. Consistency is of paramount importance and if someone of Defoe’s profile does get punished then it could go some way toward deterring other players from similar theatrics, if he did indeed dive.
The 36-year-old striker said afterwards that he didn’t dive [The Record] but did admit his surprise when Dallas awarded the decision nonetheless.
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