Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst appeared to take a pop at the SPFL after Ajax were handed a Champions League boost by the Dutch authorities.
With the match earmarked as a potential Group A decider, the KNVB had given the Dutch Champions the weekend off ahead of their trip to Ibrox.
This was with the intention of giving Ajax the best possible chance of not only progressing to the Europa League, but also securing the £2.5m win bonus UEFA gives out in the Champions League.
Conversely, Rangers played a tough match with Aberdeen at Ibrox with the game coming at a cost as they lost Ridvan Yilmaz and Ben Davies to injury for the Champions League visit of Ajax.
Rangers are in the midst of a hectic pre-World Cup schedule and as injuries take their toll the club were forced to play teenage centre-back Leon King and USA midfielder James Sands at the heart of defence against the Dutch champions.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst takes Rangers SPFL pop
Speaking after the 3-1 defeat, with Rangers yet again failing to outrun their superior opponents, Giovanni van Bronckhorst pointed to the Dutch club’s week off as the main reason they had fresher legs.
This came after Ibrox captain James Tavernier had suggested this in the post-match when asked why there was a lack of fight and desire in the squad.
“Well, I mean they had six days off,” said Van Bronckhorst [BT Sport].
“Their league is thinking about their players so they played the last game last week on Wednesday and come here really fresh.
“We, of course, played a game, and have some injuries so it was tough today. We tried but these are teams who are competing for several years on this level.
“I mean helping, that’s from the league. They haven’t had a game on the weekend, that’s the difference.
“I don’t say we need help, I just say they had a free weekend.”
The parochial world of Scottish football continues to look pathetic in the face of our European rivals and so long as the SPFL continues to be run by incompetent stooges we don’t expect it to change.
That said, Rangers do have to take responsibility for the manner of the performances in this Champions League campaign even if injuries and a hectic schedule have taken their toll.
Meanwhile, the fans of one Celtic legend’s former Euro club have come together to celebrate the Rangers Ultras’ latest anniversary.
