Rangers’ exit in the Europa League became chaotic – and Glen Kamara was subjected to a racist attack, reports the English media. “It’s a big disappointment that they call us liars,” said Rangers coach Steven Gerrard.
Scottish league champions Rangers have done their part in this spring’s Europa League play-offs. Last night, Slavia Prague won 2-0 in Glasgow and advanced to the quarterfinals.
The Czechs’ victory still ended up in the shadow of the scenes that the English media write about. In the final minutes of the match, Slavia Prague’s Ondrej Kudela is said to have said something racist to Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara.
After the match, heated discussions erupted on the pitch involving Rangers coach Steven Gerrard. At the press conference after the match, it was an upset Gerrard who gave his view on what had happened.
– My player told me that he was exposed to racism. I know and believe in Glen one hundred percent. Their players caused this and something has to happen quickly, but it’s above my head. Regardless, I support Glen, he says Gerrard according to the BBC.
– The whole situation was far from normal. If I want to say something to another player, I hardly need to cover my mouth. The match was decided and there was no reason to do so, he says according to The Guardian.
“Very upset”
Gerrard tried to ask Kamara if he wanted to be replaced, but it did not work out. Instead, Gerrard got into an exchange with Slavia Prague coach Jindrich Tripisovsky and delegates from the European Football Association Uefa.
– After the match, Glen said he did not think clearly. He wanted to continue, he was clearly very upset.
The English player icon transfers responsibility to Uefa. He hopes that Uefa will address the issue immediately.
– I can only hope that it is not swept under the carpet. This is still too common in sports. Many work hard to eradicate it.
Accuses Kamara of violence
In a statement from Slavia Prague Ondrej Kudela admits that he swore in the direction of Kamara, but he denies racism.
“Our opponent played very ugly. Our players have not experienced anything like this in modern European Cup football “, writes the Czech club about Rangers who went on two expulsions.
According to Slavia Prague’s version, it must also have been hot after the final signal on Ibrox. The team should not have been let into their locker room and Kamara should have attacked Kudela with her fists. According to the Prague Club, Gerrard and representatives from Uefa must have seen what Kamara did.
– It is a big disappointment that they try to defend their player and call us liars, says Gerrard about Slavia Prague’s position.
Failure of Tottenham
The other seven quarter-final teams in the Europa League are Arsenal, Manchester United, Dinamo Zagreb, Granada, Roma, Villarreal and Ajax.
United beat Milan after a 1-0 victory at the San Siro. Paul Pogba scored the goal that took the English giant one step closer to a title.
– Paul can make a very big difference for us. He was not ready to play more than 45 minutes, says United’s coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær about Pogba – back after a period of injury.
England, on the other hand, did not get a triple in promotion. Tottenham crashed in Croatia and lost their 2-0 lead. Dinamo Zagreb’s hat-trick hero Mislav Orsic decided in extra time – a failure for Tottenham.
– They got blood, sweat, energy – and finally tears of joy. My team did not look to play an important match. I am disappointed with our attitude. It was win or lose today – and we disappeared, says Tottenham’s coach José Mourinho according to the BBC.
The Europa League quarter-finals are drawn today.
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