RYAN CHRISTIE claimed he thought it was a joke when he first heard about the charge levelled against him from the SFA after the Glasgow Derby game in December.
Christie was cured by the governing body for grabbing Morelos during the heated derby match but the player has always pleaded his innocence.
The midfielder also making the case why it happens with no malice in what was going on.
Ryan found out about the charge from his mate sending a screenshot of the charge which had circulated online.
The Celtic star was not only cited but found guilty of violent conduct and was handed a two match ban. There’s not getting away from the fact this was a crazy and unnecessary move the by the SFA.
“When I first heard about it I thought it was a joke. A mate sent me a screenshot and I honestly thought it was a wind-up. I couldn’t even remember the incident – I said that to the panel during the hearing as well.” Christie told RecordSport.
“I didn’t even realise where I had grabbed at the time. It wasn’t until I watched the footage back that I realised my hand had gone there.
“It was pretty bizarre and I’ve had plenty of people from across the football map get in touch to express their feelings.
“As soon as the game was done it wasn’t even a thought. Maybe 10 seconds after that tackle, it was out of my head.
“He took the ball past me, it was an obvious foul but it felt strange when I got called back up.
“It was just an instinctive reaction, that’s what I said in my defence.
“As soon as a player goes past you, your first reaction is to try to get your body, or something, between them and the ball. It just so happened my hand went there. It was not something I’ve ever been part of before. I’ve heard guys talking about going to these hearings to fight decisions but I’ve never done it.
“It was so serious. It felt like I was in a proper court case and that I was going to jail if I was found guilty!”
The player has returned to the side in 2020 after a groin operation but is having to bide his time on the bench because of Olivier Ntcham’s current form. A testament to how well the Frenchman is playing when Ryan can’t get back into starting XI.
