Braga president rages against ‘worst’ Europa League officials, insists Rangers should be out
Braga chief Antonio Salvador has raged at Francois Letexier for “the worst performance of a referee in the entire competition” after Rangers won at Ibrox.
Gers went through to the Europa League semi-finals after a 3-1 win in extra time, in a game that saw the French official show two red cards to visiting players.
Two James Tavernier goals and a late Kemar Roofe winner was enough for the home side after David Carmo’s header had taken the game to the extra period.
After Letexier sent off Vitor Tormena and Iuri Medeiros, the club president fumed, via the Daily Record: “We have seen the worst performance of a referee in the entire competition.
“The Europa League can’t have referees like that and also the VAR judges too. That’s why Braga aren’t in the semi-finals.
“In the first half, we didn’t play as a team, either on the pitch or on the bench.
“We were better in the second half and I have so much praise for the players. They fought and worked until exhaustion. They were still in the tie until the referee took charge.
“I am very proud of the players. We never gave up, but had no luck.
“But we were also up against an excellent team, Rangers, in a fantastic stadium.
“For what they did in both games, for what they did in the second half, for what they did in extra time, SC Braga deserved to pass, and they would have passed with a good referee.”
Emotions
It is understandable that Salvador would be upset with how things went, having lost on a tense European night.
But it is hard to support the idea that it was the referee that put his side out.
Any team would feel like they were fighting a losing battle if they were short-handed for most of a crucial game, and then two down as they tried to mount a come-back.
But the first sending off was pretty much a done deal, as Roofe was in an obvious goalscoring position and was barged over without an attempt made on the ball, so any double jeopardy rules were negated.
And the quick-fire pair of yellows that Medeiros was shown was really all his own fault.
Committing a foul and then squaring up to the referee, right in his face, is taking a big risk, whatever some officials let players get away with.
And since the Light Blues were unlucky to have two further Roofe strikes ruled out by VAR reviews, and Scott Arfield somehow contrived to miss two late sitters, it is a stretch to suggest Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men weren’t good value for the win.
In other Rangers news, UEFA hit the club with another fine yesterday for fan behaviour during the Europa League run.