Lee Johnson blasts SFA after Rocky Bushiri Hibs suspension saga leaves Leith boss red faced

Hibs boss Lee Johnson insists the Scottish FA need to have a good look at themselves over the Rocky Bushiri suspension saga. The Leith side were left red faced in midweek after it turned out that the defender should not have played in Wednesday’s Premier Sports Cup penalty shoot out defeat to Morton.

Cup organisers the SPFL awarded a 3-0 result to Ton but in the end that outcome had no bearing over Hibs’ failure to reach the last 16 of the competition. To make matters worse the SFA then issued Bushiri with a notice of complaint over an alleged breach of rule 208.

While Johnson concedes that club need to sort out their own hour over the admin blunder, the ex-Sunderland manager also believes the SFA should have an automatic flagging system - something that is in place south of the border - when it comes to player suspensions. Elgin City and Stranraer have also been penalised by the SPFL for fielding suspended players in the group sections.

Johnson who watched his team beat Norwich City 1-0 yesterday in their final warm-up game after Elias Melkersen found the net, said: “I think the Scottish FA have a lot to have a look at themselves at to be honest with you.

“I’ve come up from England and I’m looking at no fourth official in a game like today.

“They should have a flagging system, it wasn’t just us that have got done by that, it was three or four clubs.

“In England there is an extra net system that if there is a suspension pending there is a flag that comes up and everybody within the football club gets notified.

“It’s not difficult to do that, it’s just admin. At the same time we’ve got to take responsibility, first on a football level then on an administration level.

"This is a top league in a top country and we need