Former Scottish referee Steve Conroy is certain that the SFA will act against Vaclav Cerny following his controversial water-spraying incident at Celtic Park during Sunday’s Glasgow Derby.
In an episode of The Ref’s View podcast, Conroy expressed his belief that Cerny will face disciplinary action, regardless of whether the refereeing team addressed the incident on the field.
Conroy explained that during the match, officials were focused on the game’s action and ensuring that the goal was legitimate, rather than monitoring player celebrations in the technical areas.
Despite this, Conroy emphasized that the SFA must take action, though he is unsure of what form the punishment will take.
He stated: “Some sort of sanction will be imposed on him, no doubt about that,” as reported by RecordSport. “He will face consequences, but that was not the responsibility of the referees.
“I highly doubt that officials were paying attention to that area. When a goal is scored, the first instinct is to ensure everything is in order on the field.
“After confirming that, then attention can shift to the technical areas. Therefore, it had nothing to do with us, the referees, absolutely nothing.
“Nevertheless, the SFA will have to intervene, whatever that entails. Will he be banned for a match? Will he be reprimanded? I have no idea. It was a foolish, immature act.”
Cerny’s behavior has prompted both police and SFA investigations, with demands for disciplinary measures mounting.
Celtic has initiated a review of the incident, and the extent of the punishment, if any, for the Czech winger remains uncertain.
Following the incident, Cerny attempted to justify his actions by claiming that the proximity of the stands and the open bottle contributed to the incident, while also mentioning that he could not elaborate much on it.
To those who argue against punishing the winger, I pose a question: What would happen if the roles were reversed and a fan sprayed water on Cerny? Likely, the fan would be ejected from the stadium and lose their season ticket.
