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Aleksander Tonev has been hit with a seven game ban following a breach of conduct by the Villa loanee. Accused and charged of racially abusing Aberdeen defender Shay Logan on the 13th of September, Tonev will miss seven of Celtic's games leading up to and after a busy christmas period for the Bhoys.
Celtic have appealed the ban, meaning the midfielder is available for selection until a final verdict is given by the Scottish F.A. However, this doesn't mean he is innocent in the eyes of the fans. He has wisely been benched by Celtic manager Ronny Deila for the visit to Aberdeen. Not surprisingly as I'm sure the Aberdeen players and Shay Logan will likely give him a rough time, and that's just the players.
However, this still means that Tonev could play a part for Celtic until the Scottish F.A make up their minds, in the mean time, Celtic captain Scott Brown has told the press 'he will be sticking by Tonev'. It's hardly surprising to see a team stick up for a player, but they do believe he didn't say anything harmful to Shay Logan on that September night.