KRISTOFFER AJER broke his silence on the tackle which could have ended his season under different circumstances.
The player was the victim of a reckless and ill-timed challenge from Aberdeen’s Sam Cosgrove during Celtic’s 2-1 win against the Dons last weekend but the narrative since from Aberdeen has been shocking.
The player has been accused of cheating, play acting and winking at Cosgrove to get him sent off. The only person who got Sam his red was the player himself.
There was no need for the challenge at all in that area of the pitch. It was clearly born out of frustration and he paid the penalty for his stupidity. What came after that from Aberdeen and their hierarchy has been embarrassing and Ajer has heard enough.
“There were no winks. If you look at the tackle I’m not really fooling the referee.” Ajer told SunSport.
“He hit me at quite hard speed.
“If you see the tackle and know the game, it’s a sending off. As a foreign player, I can’t see why it’s being discussed but that’s how it is here.
“Have I ever pretended I’m injured? No. Did you see the way I rolled in the end, did you see the way he hit my leg?
“For some reason, here in Scotland you almost have to keep your leg planted for it to be a red card, and this is the problem.
“It feels like in Scotland someone has to get seriously injured for someone to get sent off.
“If Scotland wants that to be the product here, no foreign players will come. That’s the truth.”
The big defender is absolutely spot on. The intent and recklessness of the challenge means it’s a red. Aberdeen appealing it was embarrassing from the beginning.
Cosgrove should learn from this rather than trying to drag a fellow professionals name through the mud.
