
Celtic hire London lawyer to avoid punishment v Rangers with hearing on Thursday at Hampden
Celtic have hired London lawyer Nick De Marco to try and avoid Brendan Rodgers being banned for their game against Rangers, according to the Scottish Sun.
The newspaper reported on its website on Wednesday (27 March) that a hearing is set to take place at Hampden on Thursday (28 March), where the Hoops boss will fight the SFA against a potential two-match touchline ban after allegedly accusing VAR official John Beaton of “incompetence”.
If the Northern Irishman is found guilty of the charges, he will be forced to sit in the stands for his side’s games against Livingston and the Old Firm clash at Ibrox.
Celtic bringing in the big guns to avoid blow for Rangers clash
It’s clear that Celtic are taking the hearing extremely seriously by bringing in a big-hitter to defend Rodgers against the SFA.
It’s not often a manager gets off with charges such as this after significant allegations have been made, so it will be interesting to see whether or not De Marco can work his magic to help the Hoops’ cause.
It would be a blow for the Northern Irishman if he can’t be on the touchline at Ibrox on 7 April as that could prove to be a pivotal game in the title race.

While it’s ultimately down to the players to get the job done on the field, not having the manager’s presence in the dugout can be detrimental when it comes to making any big in-game decisions.
But after the Parkhead club haven’t been entirely convincing this season, perhaps some of their fans wouldn’t mind not seeing Rodgers taking charge of proceedings.
In other Rangers news, Neil Lennon has labelled a situation as “unacceptable” after what happened to the Gers.
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