Rangers trio set to learn punishments

12 April 2011 08:30
The Scottish Football Association's disciplinary committee will meet on Tuesday to decide the punishments to be administered to Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist, defender Madjid Bougherra and forward El-Hadji Diouf for their part in last month's volatile Scottish Cup fifth-round loss at Celtic. McCoist and Celtic manager Neil Lennon were on March 10 charged with misconduct after a touchline scuffle at the final whistle of the March 2 fixture at Parkhead, which was followed by a summit hosted by Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond. Rangers appealed McCoist's two-match ban, while Lennon was already subject of a four-match ban and the charge triggered an additional four-match suspension. However, the SFA later conceded Lennon's ban would run concurrently, rather than consecutively, following a legal challenge by Celtic, and the Bhoys boss will return to the dugout at St Johnstone on Tuesday after completing his touchline ban on Saturday. McCoist, whose appeal allowed him to be on the touchline for the Co-operative Insurance Cup final defeat of Celtic, will now learn his fate, with the prospect the ban could be upheld, reduced or increased. Bougherra and Diouf face charges of "misconduct of a significantly serious nature" and any ban would hamper Rangers' title challenge, with Walter Smith's men two points behind Celtic with six games remaining.

Source: PA