Philippe Clement pulled no punches as Rangers were robbed off a place in the next round of the Champions League qualifiers.
And, fortunately, we mean that only metaphorically.
To call it a scandal would not be an over-the-top reaction. As far as Clement is concerned, this was ‘the worst decision I have seen in more than 30 years of football’.
You can understand the bemusement. The fury. The exasperation.
“I saw images and it is clear in football that sometimes it is a grey zone and because of that VAR is there and it helps to make football more honest,” the Rangers boss said, via The Independent, after summer signing Jefte was sent off for what was arguably not even a foul, let alone a second-yellow offence.
“But the decision was nothing to do with grey zone. It was really clear, there was nothing going on. Jefte jumps higher, he doesn’t move his hand, his arm is next to his body, it is nothing.
“I try to understand the decision and ask, but the referee stuck to his opinion. (He thought) it was a clear foul and a second yellow and a red. I am confident his bosses will have another idea.”
So too does Clement’s opposite number.
Rangers lose to Dynamo Kiev after Jefte red card
Dynamo Kiev coach Oleg Shovkovskyi does not go as far as to suggest that Jefte deserved his early bath. Not even the most biased of opposition fans could make such a claim.
But he does wonder if the referee’s decision may have been influenced by what he feels was an occasionally overly-aggressive Rangers performance.
“I have seen worse red cards in my career. But, today, there are certain rules that all teams follow. It was not a direct red card for the Rangers player. It was a second yellow,” Shovkovsyki says on the club’s official YouTube channel.
“And in this case, perhaps the mood of the players played a cruel joke on the hosts.
“The Rangers players were motivated. You saw it yourself. Sometimes, it seemed to me that they even acted aggressively. And I can understand that, too, because this is football. There is a desire to win, and it is in the blood.
“If you look at history, the desire to win is in the blood of the Scots, as well as the Ukrainians. But when going out in such major tournaments, the players must calm their emotions.
“Especially if you have a yellow card, you need to act more carefully and cautiously.”
Now, a wounded Rangers fanbase may have been inclined to agree if not for the fact that Jefte barely swung even a hint of an arm in the direction of the Dynamo defender. No team should be reduced to ten men in such an important tie for what barely even classes as a shoulder barge.
Philippe Clement’s side out of the Champions League
Rangers struggled following Jefte’s dismissal, conceding twice in the final ten minutes of normal time as Cyriel Dessers’ 94th minute equaliser in the first leg was rendered moot.
And Shovkovskyi admits that this most baffling of red cards certainly helped turn the tide in Dynamo’s favour.
“Of course, it is much easier to play when you have a numerical advantage,” the former goalkeeper adds. “We tried to increase the pressure from the flank, so that we had speed and we understood the creativity of the players who came on.
“Also, I felt that it was necessary to make minor changes. To make certain adjustments to the actions of our players. What exactly I told them will remain between us. Yes, the substitutions worked, but that is not what is important.
“What is important is that the players were ready to go on the field, to strengthen the game, which, in principle, they did, helping us to achieve a positive result.”
