Dundee United are gunning for the BBC and STV in the wake of the three-game suspension dished out to their defender.
Irishman Gavin Gunning had an SFA notice of complaint upheld at a hearing at Hampden on Thursday, a punishment for “kicking” out at Celtic player Virgil van Dijk during Saturday’s Premiership match between the teams.
United are considering banning the broadcasters because they feel that it was the highlighting of the incident on first Sportscene on BBC and then on STV’s online coverage that led to Gunning being cited by football’s governing body.
Gunning’s offence went unpunished by referee Crawford Allan during the game, while United reckon Hoops duo Scott Brown and Joe Ledley were let off with offences committed during the 1-0 win for Neil Lennon’s men as a result of the TV coverage not highlighting them.
Now the Tangerines could prevent the BBC and STV from speaking to the club’s management and players.
At the heart of the matter is a feeling that SFA compliance officer Vincent Lunny is being unduly swayed by the content of TV and internet coverage when he draws up notices of complaint.
A Tannadice source said: “We have no problem with players being punished if they are in the wrong but we can’t accept the inconsistency. There were other incidents in the Celtic game which were not highlighted by broadcasters and they have gone unpunished.
“To us it looks like the broadcasters are the ones who decide who gets called up by the SFA and who doesn’t. If the SFA decide what cases will be brought up on the basis of who gets the most coverage, as it seems to be, then the
system isn’t fair.
“Who is making the decisions the SFA or the editor of Sportscene? We are not the only club who are uneasy about this and others have made the same complaint in the past.”
When Steve Lomas was boss of St Johnstone he criticised Lunny for being too reliant on what could be deemed to be selective editing, while Motherwell’s Stuart McCall has also voiced similar concerns.
United manager Jackie McNamara, who travelled through to Glasgow with Gunning, has been left disillusioned by the episode.
He said: “The whole thing has disappointed me to say the least. It’s selective evidence which will lead to Gavin missing these three games.
“Nothing had been said until it was shown on the televison via Sportscene on the Sunday night. That’s what is wrong.
“We’ve been penalised for the way the footage has been edited on the television. There were other incidents which went unpunished so what we really need is consistency.
“Joe Ledley stuck an arm out and was spoken to by the referee but nothing has been done about that.
“It’s not about getting other players into trouble. It’s just about getting consistent decision-making.
“I have no faith in the whole appeal system or how it is run. There wasn’t one ex-player on it (the panel) but there was an ex-referee.
“It doesn’t help in these instances. So what I would say is watch this space for more cases like this. This has opened a real can of worms.”
Gunning will now be sidelined when the action resumes after the international break and McNamara added: “I obviously feel very sorry for Gavin but now he’s going to have to learn that you can’t do even the slightest thing or you’ll end up in trouble.
“As regards the incident, there wasn’t even any call from the Celtic players or fans behind the goal for him to get into trouble. That tells its own story.”