Celtic discover Auston Trusty red card appeal fate as SFA tribunal delivers verdict

The American was sent off by referee Matthew MacDermid in the 75th minute of the Premiership match at Celtic Park after video assistant Grant Irvine flagged an incident involving Hibs midfielder Jamie McGrath as the pair jostled at a corner.

Trusty struck down on McGrath’s arm with his hand and was dismissed for violent conduct. Celtic contested the decision and submitted an appeal on Monday.

A Scottish FA fast-track tribunal was convened on Tuesday and has rejected the claim. The red card has been upheld and Trusty will now sit out trips to face Rangers and Aberdeen as violent conduct carries a two-match ban. He will also miss the visit of Motherwell because it is his second red card of the league campaign.

The 27-year-old was sent off against Hearts last month for denying a goal-scoring opportunity, and Celtic’s appeal against that decision was also dismissed by the SFA.

On-loan Brentford defender Benjamin Arthur, academy graduate Dane Murray and Scotland left-back Kieran Tierney are the three contenders to deputise for centre-back Trusty in what is a crucial run of fixtures in the Hoops’ quest to defend their title.

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill had not appeared hopeful over an appeal on Sunday.

He said after the game: “I’ve just had a word with the referee. He said he was going to just have a word with the two players then VAR intervened and said it was violent conduct.

“You can’t do this if that’s the rules now. It doesn’t matter if someone is holding on to you. You can’t, in an attempt to break away, you can’t thrust down in the manner in which he did.”

Meanwhile, St Mirren succeeded in their appeal against Richard King’s red card in Saturday’s 5-0 home defeat by Motherwell.

The defender was sent off while his side trailed 3-0 early in the second half after swinging his hand in the direction of Callum Slattery while being held by the Motherwell midfielder as he tracked back.

There appeared to be minimal contact before Slattery went down holding his face.

After an appeal was upheld at an SFA fast-track tribunal hearing on Tuesday, King will now be available for Saturday’s trip to Livingston.

Saints said: “While we are pleased with this outcome, we are frustrated by the decision taken on the field and the requirement to go to an appeals process.

“We are determined to work together with the Scottish FA’s refereeing department to ensure standards will improve for the benefit of our supporters and the wider Scottish game.”