Lennon shocked by fans backlash

Celtic captain Neil Lennon insists his status as a hate figure in Scottish football was confirmed by the uproar surrounding his punishment for confronting the referee after an Old Firm game.

Lennon’s altercation with official Stuart Dougal following the 3-1 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox earlier this season earned him a three-match suspension from the Scottish Football Association.

The midfielder had been tipped for a much lengthier spell on the sidelines and what was seen to be too lenient a punishment resulted in football hotlines and radio phone-ins being jammed around the country as Scottish football fans vented their anger.

But Lennon insists the reaction would have been far more muted had any other player been involved.

He told The Scotsman: “No matter how thick-skinned you become, it does get to you a wee bit.

“I’m certain that if it had been any other player – and I don’t just mean a Rangers player, but a Scottish player – the reaction would have been nothing like as bad.

“There’s no doubt what I did at Ibrox was wrong but it was so out of character for me.

“But, since the incident at Ibrox, I’ve seen other incidents where players have laid hands on both referees and linesmen and nothing was said about it. The referee hasn’t even deemed it to be a yellow card, never mind a red.

“I’ve been here for five years and when they found out my disciplinary record was so good, a lot of people were surprised by it.”