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Daniel Bachmann blasts Rangers and Celtic favouritism

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Kilmarnock goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann has been left raging over the refereeing decisions that he alleges go in the favour of big clubs Celtic and Rangers in comparison to the rest of the Scottish Premiership.

The Hoops were involved in a fiery showdown against Killie on Sunday afternoon, both sides seeing players set off, while Rangers saw themselves earn a spate of penalties over just a couple of games, including four versus St Mirren.

Speaking of the officiating, Bachmann was fuming over the fact Scott Brown was not sent off for a challenge in their narrow 1-0 defeat, the midfielder netting a last minute winner before picking up a second yellow card to be dismissed, and insisted that there was a conspiracy over the integrity of the referees.

He told the Daily Record: “It is hard for the referee but there were challenges in the first half, trust me, that were a lot worse than that (Kirk Broadfoot’s challenge). He (Brown) just kicks him ankle high. It is just one of those things. The ref has only a split second to make a decision. He booked him for it.

“But it is the same every time we play these teams whether it’s a penalty or a red card. It is just one of those things. We never get the decisions either way. Whenever the big sides play against us it is the same – and it isn’t just us, it is against every other team as well.

“I need to be careful what I say here, but talk to me about six penalties (for Rangers) in one week. Most teams don’t get six penalties in a season. Whether they are penalties or not, it’s a big number. Like I said, it is what it is.”

Opinion

Is Bachmann suggesting that there is some sort of favouritism towards the Old Firm pair? That is a bold claim to be making and not one which will sit all that well with the SPFL and the officials. Yes, Brown might have been lucky to escape with a yellow against Killie while Rangers were certainly fortunate to see themselves handed as many penalties as they were a couple of weeks ago, but that human aspect is what makes football as exciting as it is. It is swings and roundabouts and you can be sure that Bachmann and his teammates will see the rub of the green in other games. When it comes to things like earning penalties, that is due to the quality that the likes of the Hoops and the Gers possess, finding themselves in positions where they force the referee to make a decision. Sometimes it will go their way, sometimes it will not. That is football and Bachmann just has to accept it, rather than complain about some conspiracy at the top of the Premiership table. 

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