A SCOTS referee has come under fire after appearing to mock Rangers striker Jermain Defoe’s injury.
A tweet from the now-deleted account of Martin Brodigan – a youth official originally from Ireland – shared a picture on Twitter of the Gers ace being stretchered off during last night’s win over Ross County.
Jermain Defoe crumpled in a heap during last night’s win – and his injury has been mocked by an SFA-licensed refCredit: Willie Vass – The Sun
The snap was captioned: “Things you love to see” and included a crying with laughter emoji.
It is understood Brodigan could find himself in hot water with the Scottish FA, who license officials throughout Scotland.
He was also blasted by Ref Support UK for his “unacceptable and highly inappropriate comments”.
Martin Brodigan’s cruel taunt – his Twitter account has since been deleted
The ref in his SFA gear
The whistlers’ charity shared a screenshot of the tweet this morning.
They wrote: “We need to put on record that it is unacceptable and highly inappropriate for a referee to post tweets celebrating any injury to a player.
“We wish Jermain Defoe a speedy recovery.”
And fans have also slammed the comments from the youth official’s account – with some calling for the SFA to act.
One said: “Referees shouldn’t be saying this type of thing about any player regardless of who they support. Or regardless of the level they referee at.”
Another replied: “His club allegiance is irrelevant, the point is if he is an SFA certified referee he should be binned.”
A third added: “Perhaps wishing injury on a professional footballer wasn’t the smartest idea from an SFA referee.”
A spokesperson for the SFA said: “We are aware of the incident but we wouldn’t comment on any potential live disciplinary cases.”
Veteran striker Defoe scored one goal and made the other last night as the Ibrox side beat their Highland opponents.
But he was stretchered off just before the hour mark after crumpling in a heap while chasing a long ball – leaving boss Steven Gerrard sweating over his striking options.
It comes just days after he agreed a pre-contract agreement with Rangers that will see his loan move become permanent in the summer.
Rangers star Alfredo Morelos hands out food packages to those in need in his hometown
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
