Rangers left-back Jefte was branded “daft” by Chris Sutton after receiving a first-half yellow card against Celtic, but referee John Beaton also faced criticism for his decision.
Commentating for Sky Sports Football (1 September, 12:49 pm), Sutton and fellow pundit Neil McCann both felt that Jefte’s challenge on Nicolas Kuhn didn’t warrant a booking.
The incident, which occurred just 19 minutes into the match, appeared to be a routine 50-50 contest between the two players. Nevertheless, Beaton decided to show the yellow card to the Gers left-back, a decision that drew criticism from the commentators.
Sutton remarked: “It’s a daft challenge, and he’s put himself under massive pressure there – I’ve got to say, I don’t think he’s deserving of a yellow card for that though.”
McCann concurred, saying, “He’s just been caught up there, but I agree with you. It’s a soft yellow, and there’s John Beaton pointing out: one, two, three, four – I don’t think they certainly came from him.”
Despite the early setback, Jefte wasn’t the worst performer for Rangers at Parkhead, but the booking left him walking a tightrope for the remainder of the match.
The 20-year-old Brazilian, like several of his teammates, was drawn out of position by Alistair Johnston’s run and subsequent cross, which led to Daizen Maeda’s opening goal for Celtic.
Just two minutes later, Beaton issued the yellow card to Jefte, having already noted several Rangers fouls in the opening stages.
While Jefte wasn’t directly responsible for Celtic’s second and third goals – both long-range strikes from Kyogo Furuhashi and Callum McGregor – the young defender still has a lot to learn from this Old Firm defeat.
Jefte’s performance, though not disastrous, highlighted the challenges he faces if he aims to establish himself as one of the Premiership’s top left-backs.
Meanwhile, on the opposite flank, Greg Taylor’s commanding display against Vaclav Cerny demonstrated the level of consistency Jefte needs to aspire to if he wants to succeed at this level.