James Tavernier is concerned that Ivan Kružliak may apply the Laws of the Game at Ibrox tonight against Benfica.
The experienced Slovakian has been taking charge of top UEFA matches since 2017 when Tav had Andy Halliday, Jason Holt and Martyn Waghorn among his team-mates.
This season Kruzliak has taken charge of Champions League matches in Madrid, Manchester and Barcelona but it is believed that he has never visited the Crown Bar in Bellshill or reached out to befriend Andrew Dallas or members of the Lanarkshire Refereeing Association.
Last week in the first leg there was outrage when a penalty was awarded against John Souttar by another foreign referee with Tav telling the Daily Record about how Scottish referees apply the Laws of the Game very differently to those appointed by UEFA:
I didn’t see the penalty incident in real time, but when you look back at it you can clearly see it hits his head and it hits his arm afterwards. We have seen with the history of VAR, whether it be Premier League, Champions League or Europa League, there is always going to be human error inside it. So we have just got to deal with it.
Going forward, maybe harsher challenges can happen in our league compared to Europe (The Laws of the Game unfortunately)
Whatever happens on the day, you have just got to deal with it. We know the European referees are more on point when it comes to any fouls.
They can easily give a yellow card out quickly but we have seen that happen in our league so we just got to use our experience of how to play the game.
Turning to diving, Ryan Kent’s former team-mate added:
It is part and parcel of football. It is how you play the game. If players are clever with it, if players are streetwise with it, they can get decisions that aren’t the right decisions.
You make the slightest touch and they go down. But if it is a touch they see it is a touch and it can get given. You have almost got to play on the same playing field. You have just got to deal with how the game breaks down.
In 85 SPFL matches Tavernier’s side have conceded one penalty, in 21 matches over the last two seasons in Europe they have had five penalties awarded against them.
On Sunday away to Dundee Don Robertson will be in charge with Douglas Ross an assistant, Greg Aitken will be on VAR duty.
Business as usual on Sunday then.
“You have almost got to play on the same playing field.” Yeah, it’s called a level playing field Tav. You know, where one side isn’t playing a game that is rigged against them from the start and both teams only have to play against their official 11 opponents on the field, not the guys with the flags the whistle and, these days, the monitors and line drawing software as well. No wonder it seems like such an alien concept, you thick Hun halfwit.
The sheer brass neck of this guy .
Sevco are well drilled nay encouraged to fall ,dive and stumble in the box at every opportunity.
VAR is used by them to gain an advantage and their friends in the lodge and sevco pubs are more than happy to ensure they get that advantage.
If anyone is in any doubt about this , may I suggest the look back to the clip of Mcauslands dive v livi .
For that to be upheld by a VAR check is the sheer definition of cheating in sport
Trump and the tories do not have a look in compared to this mob
We know the European referees are more on point when it comes to any fouls ???
i’v news for you ya cheating cnut !! so are the scottish referees in scotland but only to the other teams outwith sevco !!
Taverniers comments are about as intelligible as a spokesman for a club that cheated everyone / anyone for years, refused to admit it and are still trying to justify the indefensible deeds that they did.
His head must be full of vegetable soup!
He has admitted to open cheating then…
That won’t go down well in The Lanarkshire Masonic Refereeing Assassination then will it –
The only surprise is that Video Celts are reporting that The Daily Record are publishing it…
I thought that would surely be a sweep, sweep job !