Frazer Wright has rejected a two-match ban after a weekend clash with Celtic defender Mikael Lustig and will instead plead his case at Hampden.
The St Johnstone defender is adamant that he is innocent of a charge of violent conduct levelled against him by a judicial panel and has been backed by the Perth club.
Had he accepted the suspension he would have automatically been ruled out of Sunday’s crucial clash with Motherwell.
Boss Steve Lomas fears the authorities are in danger of being lured into trial by television, and believes too much power effectively now rests with football programme production staff.
He said: “I’ve looked at the incident several times and I don’t see how they can say Frazer is guilty of violent conduct.
“He’s jumping for the ball and anyone who has ever played football at any level will tell you that you can’t do that with your arms at your sides.
“You put your arms out for leverage. It is a natural body shape. That’s what he has done and unfortunately Frazer has caught the Celtic player. But there’s nothing violent about it.
“If Frazer had been looking at him when he did it I’d be the first to say it’s not right and that it’s dangerous. But football is a contact sport and sometimes these collisions simply happen by accident.”
Lomas expressed concern that television is playing too big a role in the disciplinary process and he believes he has the backing of fellow managers.”
“This shows up the whole system because the referee and his assistants saw nothing wrong with it at the time,” said Lomas.
“What has happened is that an editor in the BBC has decided that’s the incident they’re going to highlight this week and that’s that. I know other managers have had a problem with this as well.
“The system seems to centre around whatever appears on Sportscene. So who is making these decisions? Is it the Sportscene editor?
“I have seen loads of incidents this season that could have been called up but weren’t because they didn’t appear on the telly on a Sunday night. You only seem to get done if they highlight it.
“I’d like to know how they decide these things. Does someone go through all the games in the SPL or do they just have a quick look at the highlights on the telly and make up their list of who to do from there?
“We had a situation earlier in the season where we couldn’t appeal a red card because there was no telly evidence to back our player’s case.
“The TV missed it so our player had to accept a ban. Now we’re being done because of the television. I think this is a dangerous road to go down. It’s about consistency.”