Kris Boyd’s reaction to Alistair Johnston’s penalty concession during Celtic’s 4-1 win over Ross County has sparked debate, particularly his insistence that the Celtic defender should have been sent off for denying a goal-scoring opportunity.
The former Ibrox striker was clearly raging that Celtic didn’t drop points on the road and, instead, stretched their gap to 18 points. Rangers don;t take to the pitch until Sunday.
Boyd, speaking on Sky Sports, was adamant:
“I can not understand why that’s not a red card. There’s no attempt to play the ball; he’s denied a goal-scoring opportunity. He nudged his back, he said it himself. Celtic should be down to 10 men there. ”
However, his claim was swiftly countered by Chris Sutton, who offered a more measured perspective:
“You don’t see a red card for that.”
Boyd replied:
“I’d like to hear what you’d think if it was down the other end.”
If it was down the other end, Sutton wouldn’t want a red, and neither’d Boyd.
The penalty decision itself wasn’t controversial—Johnston clearly fouled Kieran Phillips from behind, and the referee pointed to the spot after a short VAR check. Jordan White converted to bring County level.
However, Boyd’s call for a red card appears misplaced. The rules of the game are clear: if a player commits a foul that denies a goal-scoring opportunity but is making an attempt to play the ball, the sanction is a yellow card. Johnston’s challenge, while clumsy, wasn’t reckless or violent.
If Boyd wants Johnston sent off for his foul, shouldn’t the same logic apply to James Brown, who conceded Celtic’s penalty by clattering into Yang in the box?
Brown made the same attempt to play the ball and brought Yang down—surely that’s athe same case for a red card as Johnston’s nudge?
Boyd’s selective outrage hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans, many of whom have pointed out the inconsistency in his argument.
