Craig Levein has accused the SFA of trying to sanitise Scottish football.
The Hearts boss was responding to questions over the governing body’s reaction to the on-field bust-up between Celtic and Rangers players.
Levein insists compliance officer Clare Whyte was too eager to hammer figures from that game.
Both clubs were retrospectively charged as was Celtic captain Scott Brown and Rangers manager Steven Gerrard.
And Levein feels Whyte has gone too far.
Ahead of the Edinburgh derby, the 54-year-old said: "My view on how these things are viewed by the compliance officer is that people in Scotland like to see competitive football.
"This derby match will be competitive and God forbid there comes a day when we ever take that out of this fixture.
"We have to be very careful that we don't sanitise the football in Scotland so much that it becomes what the supporters don't want to see.
"In Scottish football people want to see competitive edge in the games and I think the compliance officer is in a hurry sometimes to dilute that.
"I don't think it's necessary."
The capital clubs were charged over players clashing during the last Edinburgh derby in October – but a Hampden hearing dismissed the allegation.
Neil Lennon hits back at Rangers boss Steven Gerrard with thinly-veiled swipe
And Levein won’t caution his players against going full throttle in Saturday’s clash at Tynecastle.
The manager said: "It's very difficult to get as close as you can to the edge, so you're competing at a really high level but not overstepping the mark.
"(Edinburgh derbies) are so tight and there's not usually many chances in the match.
"It becomes about who is capable of taking the chance that comes their way.
"That's really what happened down at Easter Road - Olly Lee scored a wonderful goal to win the game.
"There wasn't a lot in it at all and I don't think there will be much in it on Saturday either."
