Derek Ferguson has accused referee Marco Guida of cheating after Jefte was sent off in Rangers’ 2-0 defeat to Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday (13 August).
The Brazilian had already been cautioned when he was handed a second yellow card, and subsequently a red card, for an innocuous challenge in the air while winning a header.
While the game was in the balance at the time, with the first leg finishing 1-1, the Ukrainian side took advantage, knocking the Gers into the Europa League.
Sharing his verdict on the situation via the Daily Record (13 August), Ferguson said: “It beggars belief. I don’t even think the first yellow card – he stood on the boy’s foot but it was accidental. It’s just an ordinary challenge and how the Italian referee deems that a yellow card is absolutely baffling.
“Do you know something, I’m going to use a strong word, but it seems like cheating, to be honest with you. If he’s going to make decisions like that and award a yellow card, the guy shouldn’t be refereeing.
“I’ve used the word and Philippe Clement will feel his team have been cheated. I’m going to say it again because it’s an absolutely ridiculous decision. It was a real 50/50 game but the referee changed the course of the game and it’s high stakes here from a Rangers point of view.”
Rangers knocked out of Champions League qualification by controversial moment
Nobody knows what could have happened in the final 40 minutes of the Champions League qualifiers should the Gers have kept all 11 players on the pitch, but Rangers fans have every right to be angry.
Not only have the team had the chance to represent the Gers on one of the biggest stages in football, but Philippe Clement has also missed out on an influx of cash, which could have gone towards the squad.
Fans are still not convinced by the state of the current squad, even after the Belgian’s huge rebuild over the summer, working with Nils Koppen to undo what Michael Beale did last summer.
If Rangers had lost the match themselves, they would have rightly received criticism, with some mooting the sacking of Clement, but the awful red card decision took proceedings out of their control.
Of course, some fans will argue that the Gers should have had enough quality to bring a victory back to Hampden Park from the first leg, but football can be a strange sport sometimes.
The refereeing mistake, however, is something that happens too often, and this decision looks to have a damning impact on the club.
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