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<\/p>\nTrusty was involved in an off the ball incident with Gers frontman Yousssef Chermiti at Ibrox on Sunday<\/p>\n
Celtic’s Auston Trusty goes down due to an off the ball incident with Rangers’ Youssef Chermiti(Image: SNS Group)<\/p>\n
Auston Trusty has been accused of blatantly ‘cheating’ in an attempt to get Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti<\/a> sent off during Celtic’s Scottish Cup quarter final victory at Ibrox.<\/p>\n That’s the view of former FIFA and English Premier League Keith Hackett, who has described the defender’s actions as ‘disgraceful’.<\/p>\n Alongside Benjamin Arthur – and later Dane Murray – the US international put in a rock-solid shift at the heart of the Hoops backline as Martin O’Neill’s side edged out their rivals via a penalty shootout to set up a last four showdown with St Mirren.<\/p>\n The tie has been overshadowed by shocking scenes on the pitch after the game in which fans from both clubs spilled onto the pitch and reaped havoc in the famous old stadium<\/a>.<\/p>\n But Trusty<\/a> – who saw a handball from Chermiti’s strike inside the Celtic box cleared by VAR in the early stages of the game – was also involved with an off the ball incident with the Portuguese striker just before the hour mark.<\/p>\n In an attempt to quickly get the game started again after Celts were awarded a free kick by on-field referee Don Robertson, Chermiti tried to slap the ball out of Trusty’s arms, only to miss it completely and make contact with the big centre back’s leg.<\/p>\n Despite replays showing that there was minimal contact, Trusty then hit the deck but play quickly resumed after a bit of pushing and shoving from both sets of players.<\/p>\n During coverage of the game for Record Sport, ex Premiership whistler Des Roache agreed with the decision not to take action against the Rangers frontman, noting that Trusty had made the most of the situation<\/a>.<\/p>\n And now Hackett – who officiated high calibre games in the English top tier and European Championships during his distinguished career – has gone one step further by slamming the Celtic star.<\/p>\n Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “It\u2019s cheating. It\u2019s an action that nobody wants to see: a player going down to get an opponent sent off. It\u2019s unacceptable.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s excellent refereeing from Robertson, getting straight in at the beginning of a mass confrontation, with the assistant helping.<\/p>\n “There\u2019s no overreaction. But these are the things happening in football that are frankly disgraceful. Let\u2019s have a degree of respect for other players.<\/p>\n “No football fan wants to see this level of nonsense. In fairness to the player accused, he didn\u2019t overreact. Some suddenly think that, if you think I\u2019ve hit you, have one for real.”<\/p>\n Follow Record Sport on Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.<\/p>\n You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers<\/a> and Celtic<\/a> pages, and sign up to our newsletters<\/a> to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We’re also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here<\/a> and our Celtic community here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tune in to Hotline Live<\/a> every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport’s newest podcast, Game On<\/a>, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.<\/p>\n Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google\u2019s preferred sources. Click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n