Celtic have stated they did not challenge the ban imposed on manager Neil Lennon in the aftermath of his clash with Rangers assistant boss Ally McCoist to take into consideration "the wider interests of the club and Scottish football".
Rangers on Wednesday submitted an appeal against the two-match touchline ban received by McCoist following his touchline altercation with Lennon in the volatile Scottish Cup tie against Celtic on March 2. But the Scottish Football Association's 5pm deadline passed without Celtic lodging an appeal.
Ahead of Wednesday's Scottish Cup quarter-final at Inverness, Celtic issued a statement on their official website which read: "Celtic Football Club confirms that Neil Lennon has not challenged the imposition of an automatic four match suspension arising from the Celtic v Rangers match on March 2."
It added: "Neil and the club have decided, in the wider interests of the club and Scottish football, not to appeal against the imposition of the ban, or the reasons for it.
"In accordance with the SFA's disciplinary procedures and the SFA's original intimation of the ban issued on March 9, Neil will be serving this suspension concurrently with his existing suspension.
"He will therefore not be in the dugout for the four Celtic first-team matches from and including the game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on this evening (Wednesday)."
The Celtic boss is already serving a four-match ban following his dismissal to the stand and subsequent reaction during a 2-0 defeat by Hearts in November and he must sit in the stand for this Sunday's Co-operative Insurance Cup final with Rangers.
The Celtic manager was handed double the punishment of McCoist given it was his second offence in the relevant period.
Source: PA
