Under-pressure Steven Gerrard has come out swinging as he revealed he’s filed a complaint to the Saudi Pro League about the referee who left him incensed after another defeat.
The former Rangers boss is feeling the blues after Al-Ettifaq’s fourth consecutive league match without a victory. They fell 3-2 to Al-Orubah and he had whistler Mohammed Saif Al-Harbi in his crosshairs over the sending off of Abdullah Radif. That incident was sandwiched between the goals fromJoão Costa and Gini Wijnaldum to fire Ettifaq ahead. Gerrard watched his side fall apart in the second half but he only had one perceived sinner he wanted to scold at a fiery post-match press conference.
Speaking after the “I am not happy with the referee decision at the red card. It was a really bad decision and it changed the whole match going and made it more difficult, a complaint will be filed against the referee, as he was never close to what is required from the beginning of the match to the end of it.
“We came back after the first goal, and the opponent scored a goal. It’s our fault we are supposed to be stationed in the right place.”
Gerrard’s blistering blast comes amid mounting pressure surrounding his own record. He arrested a stuttering start in his first season, however, consecutive defeats to lesser sides has Ettifaq sitting ninth – below expectations set by their ambitious owners.
And the former Ibrox manager won’t be getting much respite as he faces the last two SPL champions Al-Hilal and Al–Ittihad in the coming weeks.