Hackett Exclusive: SFA to take action on ‘out of order’ St Johnstone tactic v Celtic

St Johnstone could face action from the SFA over a tactic they appeared to use during their win over Celtic, Keith Hackett has said.

The former PGMOL and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the apparent instruction to ballboys not to return the ball quickly after going out of play was “out of order”.

Celtic are on course to claim another Scottish Premiership title this season, as they sit 13 points clear at the top of the table with six games still to be played.

That is despite the fact they have been on the end of some disappointing and at times embarassing results in recent weeks.

As a result, there have been questions about whether manager Brendan Rodgers could be on his way out of Celtic in the near future.

St Johnstone claim a big win in relegation battle

On Sunday (6 April), Rodgers‘ side were on the end of another of those frustrating results, as they lost 1-0 away at the Scottish Premiership’s bottom club, St Johnstone.

The hosts though, did appear to employ some intriguing tactics as they looked to get the better of their title-chasing hosts.

With St Johnstone having gone ahead through Daniels Balodis after just four minutes, that meant they were left with a long time to hold onto their lead.

As the game approached the hour-mark, a member of the club’s staff was spotted by television cameras moving around the side of the pitch, passing on instructions to the ballboys.

It was then suggested that the instruction was to not return the ball quickly if it went out of play, so as to stunt the efforts of Celtic to get back into the game.

While that did ultimately work, Hackett believes that approach could now see St Johnstone face some form of contact from the Scottish FA.