Brendan Rodgers Rangers ban means Celtic double whammy that Parkhead favourite fears will fuel conspiracy crackpots

Brendan Rodgers being banned from the touchline against Rangers will result in a Celtic double whammy to fuel the conspiracy theorists.

That's according to Peter Grant, who is predicting that Rodgers' absence from the touchline will see imaginations run wild ahead of the Parkhead boss' tribunal hearing. He's up in front of the Hampden beaks on Thursday after being taken to task for his comments regarding officials following the champions 2-0 defeat to Hearts at the start of the month.

Rodgers was left raging after Yang's yellow card for a high boot on Alex Cochrane was upgraded to a red by Don Robertson after being urged to take a second look by VAR John Beaton at Tynecastle. And his mood hardly improved when Tomoki Iwata was penalised by VAR for a dubious handball that allowed Jorge Grant put to the hosts ahead from the spot.

Rodgers said afterwards that the two officials had cost his team the game and called their competence into question. He'll have to explain himself at the National Stadium this week, but will have hotshot lawyer Nick De Marco - dubbed the "Lionel Messi of sports law" by his side.

The Celtic boss could face a fine and two game ban, which would see him confined to the stands for Sunday's home clash with Livingston then the title showdown at Ibrox next week. However, it could be a shorter ban or just a fine, while the option to appeal is open to Rodgers. It would then depend on when that appeal is heard if he can lead the champions into their rivals' backyard.

And Grant reckons some theories area lready being cooked up should Rodgers be handed a touchline suspension for the trip across the city, which again will have no away fans in attendance. He told Go Radio: "If Brendan Rodgers misses the Rangers