Pressley to discover his fate for semi-final rant

Published on Thursday 23 February 2012 02:45

Falkirk manager Steven Pressley is set to find out today if he is to face a ban for his half-time rant at referee Euan Norris during the League Cup semi-final last month.

A judicial panel will hear the case at Hampden this afternoon, as Pressley tries to avoid a verdict which could – in a worst-case scenario – see him banned from the touchline for the rest of the season. The Bairns manager marched onto the pitch at the interval to confront Norris after Celtic were given a penalty in the first period, with Darren Dods adjudged to have impeded Thomas Rogne. Pressley was subsequently sent to the stand for the second half, where he watched his young side succumb to a 3-1 defeat.

The SFA charged the 38-year-old with breaching rule 68, which states that a manager cannot “criticise the performance of any or all match officials in such a way as to indicate bias or incompetence”. Pressley is also accused of breaking rule 203, with the accusation of “adopting aggressive behaviour towards a match official”.

If found guilty of the first charge, the punishment is likely to be between a three and five-game ban, while the second charge could lead to a touchline exile of anything from two matches to 16. Punishments for separate offences can no longer be served simultaneously.

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