Rangers boss Steven Gerrard believes photographs of Sunday’s clash between Ryan Kent and Celtic skipper Scott Brown which left the Gers winger facing a two-game ban made the incident look worse than it was.
Kent knocked Brown to the ground in the wake of James Forrest’s winning goal for the Hoops which elicited some spectacular snapshots but referee Bobby Madden and his fellow match officials appeared to miss the incident.
The on-loan Liverpool player was subsequently accused of committing a red card offence in a Scottish Football Association notice of complaint but he refused to accept the charge and a fast-track tribunal will take place on Thursday.
Gerrard said: “We spoke to Ryan, we spoke to other players around the incident.
“We have our version of events which are totally different from what we feel has been reported or what he has been accused of and we will challenge it and see what we get from it.
“We don’t think it was violent conduct and we don’t think it was in the face, simple as that.
“It is always easy in hindsight to look at pictures which look worse than they are.
“I have known Ryan since he was eight, nine years of age, he hasn’t got a violent bone in his body.
“He has never been involved in something like this before.
“I think Ryan was merely pushing him away to get him out of his face after being provoked. That’s our side of it.
“But will see what three people on the panel and Clare (Whyte, SFA compliance officer) think and we will see what comes from it.”
