Former Celtic striker and BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton is next to hit out at the Scottish Government and Nicola Sturgeon over her treatment of Scottish Football.
Writing in his column for the Daily Record, Sutton went on a scathing rant claiming that the Government were ‘out of order’ for the treatment of football in particular and how it is been unfair.
“Nicola Sturgeon and the Holyrood establishment are out of order with their kicking of Scottish football.
“And to make matters worse they are not being even-handed with it.
“The Scottish Government has more to worry about than football and sport when it comes to mass death within their population and an economy being destroyed with the effects of the pandemic.
“I don’t expect them not to have an opinion when they asked questions about individual cases of rule-breaking. I don’t expect Sturgeon not to make a point or two on the issue just to reiterate her position. But I’d also expect a bit of respect within the language.
“Not what has been coming out, which has been condescending at best and disgraceful at worst.
“Sturgeon rattling on about red cards and I’ve already said my piece about clinical director Jason Leitch coming out with his “I didn’t miss them” speech at the beginning of this pandemic like some power-crazy headmaster giving it some to a bunch of unruly school kids.
“This privilege chat that keeps coming from Sturgeon is misleading. It’s giving off an image to the rest of the country that football has been handed some sort of free pass from any sort of restrictions and can basically go about their business as normal.
“That could not be further from the truth. Football people have had to put in strict protocols at big cost just to be allowed to go to work.
“These people deserve some respect. Not to be treated like spoilt children who have nicked a tenner out of their mum’s purse.”
When it comes to football in Scotland, I don’t think it’s been dealt with well at all.
Some of the decision made by the government have been extremely inconsistent and at times harsh.
There have been times when the rules have been broken, whether that be players or clubs. When that happens there is no doubt that people should be punished for that.
However, football seems to get it much more when it comes to criticism rather than other sports and even sectors of work out there, including the government with rule-breaking.
This defence that Sutton has went on displays the frustration from many who feel this has been the case for months now and it isn’t a great look for the government at all.
