Hamilton head coach Brian Rice is banned from the dugout for the club’s next two crucial matches following a Scottish Football Association disciplinary hearing.
Rice was hit with two charges after launching into a furious tirade against the SFA’s head of referees, Crawford Allan.
The former Hibernian, Nottingham Forest and Falkirk player has received a four-match ban, two games of which are suspended until the end of 2021.
The punishment means he will be in the stand for the Scottish Premiership bottom club’s trip to St Mirren on Saturday and the clash with relegation rivals Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on May 12.
The Accies head coach found himself in trouble over comments made in the wake of his side’s Scottish Cup defeat to St Mirren on April 3.
The 57-year-old was accused of breaching rules which prohibit bosses criticising match officials in a way which indicates bias or incompetence or “impinge on his character”.
He was also charged over his failure to act in the best interests of football by using “insulting” words.
Rice angrily let rip at SFA head of referees Allan after seeing Saints awarded a late penalty in their 3-0 cup defeat, saying: “I’m angry as we are getting nothing. I’m fed up phoning Crawford Allan and getting shoved to the side because we are only Hamilton, that’s what’s happening. Am I paranoid?
“I would like Crawford to take us seriously. To give us a fair crack of the whip just like everybody else because we are not getting a fair crack of the whip. I don’t care what anybody says.”
