Celtic Fans Won’t Believe Kevin Thomson’s Take on Cammy Devlin’s ‘Kung Fu’ Rangers Red Card

Sometimes a photograph captures a football incident better than a thousand words ever could.

This is surely one of those occasions.

Cammy Devlin is airborne, his boot is high and Jablonec’s Jiri Slama is on the receiving end.

At first glance, it looks less like a football challenge and more like something Bruce Lee might have attempted in Enter the Dragon.

Yet the initial reaction on Rangers TV appeared to be focused on whether the Ibrox club might actually receive a penalty.

Seriously.

Cammy Devlin red card leaves little room for argument

Devlin had only been introduced as a substitute minutes earlier when the extraordinary incident unfolded.

The referee initially allowed play to continue before VAR intervened.

Replays then showed exactly what had happened.

Devlin had left the ground and his studs made contact high on Slama’s leg, around shin level.

After reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor, referee Marian Barbu produced a straight red card.

The photograph accompanying this article arguably makes the decision look even more straightforward.

Both of Devlin’s feet are off the ground. His leg is raised and his studs are heading towards his opponent.

If Bruce Lee had produced it, you might applaud the technique.

On a football pitch, however, you’re more likely to get an early shower.

Rangers TV penalty reaction beggars belief

What makes the incident even more remarkable was the initial belief that Rangers might be getting a penalty.

Kevin Thomson was part of the Rangers TV coverage, where the discussion initially centred on the possibility of a spot-kick rather than Devlin being in serious trouble.

Club television will naturally favour its own team. Nobody expects Rangers TV to provide completely neutral commentary.

Surely there are limits, though.

The still image makes Devlin’s challenge look spectacularly reckless. Once the replay was available, the prospect of Rangers benefiting from the incident became increasingly difficult to comprehend.

BBC Sportsound experienced similar initial confusion.

Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday subsequently watched the replay and apologised for the original analysis, admitting there was “no defence about the red card.”

That tells its own story.

The picture tells the Cammy Devlin story

Forget blue-tinted spectacles for a moment and simply look at the photograph.

Devlin is practically horizontal.

One boot is high, both feet have left the turf and Slama is directly in the firing line.

Yet somehow the immediate conversation could involve Rangers potentially receiving a penalty.

You couldn’t make it up.

Bias is expected to an extent on club television, particularly from former players with strong connections to that club.

However, there comes a point where the evidence directly in front of the camera has to win.

VAR eventually did exactly that.

Devlin walked.

Looking at this remarkable Bruce Lee-style photograph, perhaps the biggest surprise is that anybody initially thought Rangers might be getting the decision.