Motherwell's Callum Slattery handed retrospective four-match ban for simulation

Motherwell’s Callum Slattery has been issued a four-game ban for simulation that resulted in a red card for St Mirren defender Richard King.

King was sent off by referee Calum Scott after swinging his hand in the direction of Slattery while being held by the Motherwell midfielder during a 5-0 loss last month.

There appeared to be minimal contact before Slattery went down holding his face. VAR did not intervene to overturn the decision.

An appeal was upheld at a Scottish Football Association fast-track tribunal hearing in February and King’s red card was rescinded.

Slattery has now been handed a retrospective four-game ban, two of which are suspended, after he was cited by the Scottish FA’s compliance officer on Thursday.

Motherwell have hit out at the ban, claiming it is the first time a player has received a retrospective match suspension for simulation.

‘No conclusive evidence’

Motherwell issued a strongly worded statement following the ban, saying “a third layer of refereeing has now been implemented”.

The club have also said that “poor quality” cameras mean there is no conclusive evidence King’s arm did not touch Slattery’s face.

A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that following a SFA hearing, Callum Slattery has been handed a four-match suspension, two of which are suspended.

“This suspension is related to the red card incident involving Richard King against St Mirren back in February. The club was informed earlier in the month that Slattery had been issued with a notice of complaint from the Compliance Officer and that the midfielder would be issued with a match suspension, the length of which would be decided by a panel.

“On the night, the fourth official communicated to the match referee about the off-the-ball incident, to which a red card was shown to King. Following a VAR review, the decision was upheld due to the inconclusive evidence from the cameras, which couldn’t confirm the level of contact with Slattery’s face due to poor quality.

“Despite the correct protocol being followed on the night, a third layer of refereeing has now been implemented, and despite using the same poor-quality camera angles, the panel has imposed a four-game ban for our player, two of which he is to serve in the next two matches with the other two suspended.

“The club attended the hearing with clear evidence showing that the camera angles from the match in Paisley couldn’t provide anyone with conclusive footage on the amount of contact to Slattery’s face.

“This is the first incident in Scottish football where a player has received a match suspension via retrospective action for inappropriate behaviour, and we question why this incident meets the criteria, yet countless others don’t.

“All clubs have witnessed similar incidents in games which haven’t resulted in retrospective bans; therefore, we will watch and expect consistency going forward so that Callum isn’t treated differently to others. The club will be making no further comment at this time.”