Celtic's Ryan Christie has been hit with a three-match ban after being found guilty of 'violent conduct' by the Scottish FA this afternoon.
The Hoops midfielder has been sanctioned with a two-match ban for grabbing Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos by the genitals.
The incident occured during Celtic's 2-1 Scottish Premiership loss to their Glasgow rivals on December 29.
Christie was cited following the match, after which, the club released a statement which read; "We are absolutely astonished at this decision. Clearly we will defend Ryan vigorously."
The Scotland international had been booked for an earlier offence in the Old Firm clash but escaped punishment at the time from referee Kevin Clancy.
The SFA upheld the ban, finding Christie guilty of 'violent conduct' after today's hearing.
The governing body also added a further one-match ban due to a previous red card he received in Celtic's 2-0 defeat to Livingston in October.
The player will miss the Scottish Cup tie with Partick Thistle and Premiership games against Kilmarnock and Ross County.
Christie was considered a doubt for those games after he underwent surgery to repair a burst blood vessel in his groin.
