Celtic striker John Guidetti to discover fate over song on Thursday
Tuesday 28 April 2015 09:37, UK
Celtic striker John Guidetti will discover on Thursday if he is to be punished for singing an allegedly 'offensive' song about the demise of Rangers.
The on-loan Manchester City forward had been due to appear before the Scottish Football Association's disciplinary panel on April 9 but that hearing was postponed.
However, the governing body has now confirmed the 22-year-old Sweden international's case will be heard on April 30.
Guidetti was issued with a notice of complaint last month after he repeated a chant sung about him by Celtic fans, which contained the words 'hun' and 'deid', during an interview on Dutch TV show FC Rijnmond.
The word 'deid', Glasgow slang for dead, is a reference to oldco Rangers which was consigned to liquidation in June 2012.
Some fans of the Ibrox club claim the term 'hun' is a sectarian slur, although supporters of other clubs insist it has no religious connotations.
SFA compliance officer Tony McGlennan accused the Swede of breaching disciplinary rule 73, stating that 'on or around March 6, 2015, you did in the course of a interview given to the Dutch Television Programme FC Rijnmond, make comment of an offensive nature'.
It is not clear if Guidetti will appear before the Hampden panel at Thursday's re-arranged hearing but Celtic have already backed the player.
A statement issued by Celtic last month said: "We are very surprised and disappointed that this has even found its way to an SFA judicial panel. John Guidetti will be defending this charge."
Guidetti made an impressive start to his Celtic career, scoring 11 goals in his first 12 games after moving north from the Etihad Stadium but his star has faded in recent weeks and he was left on the bench for Sunday's 3-0 win over Dundee United.
