Hearts keeper Bobby Zlamal has given an incredible interview in his homeland where he has claimed that the row over the racist abuse of Rangers star Glen Kamara by Slavia Prague’s Ondrej Kudela was “great” for the Ibrox side.
The Czech defender was suspended by UEFA after being found guilty of abusing Kamara in a Europa League clash but the Hearts keeper has insisted there was “no evidence” to prove Kamara’s claim.
Zlamal, currently on an emergency loan at Scottish Cup finalists St Johnstone told how there Hearts players had “a lot of discussion” over the incident and bizarrely complained that there was little focus on the tackles from Steven Gerrard’s star but plenty on the racist abuse of Kamara.
As well as railing against people opposing racist abuse of footballers, Zlamal claimed Ibrox star Kemar Roofe showed “clear intention” when he caught the Slavia keeper with a high boot, calling the Rangers striker’s apology “nothing” and branding Steven Gerrard’s squad “no saints.”
“We had a lot of discussion about the match at my club. There are a lot of guys at Hearts who are die-hard Rangers fans,” Zlamal told Czech outlet Idnes (via the Daily Record).
“Only the racism was discussed. They saw it differently than I did. The subject was quite hot and explosive, now it is calmer.
“No one in Scotland spoke about the tackles, only the racism. I pointed out how the match was played. Aggressive football is standard for Scots, but this went too far.
“Kemar Roofe kicked Ondrej Kolar in the head. It was a clear intention from him because strikers can peripherally see where the goalkeeper is. The apology was nothing.
“The racism was great for Rangers because it covered up all their shortcomings as Slavia beat them. Rangers players are definitely no saints.
“The whole thing annoys me because no one has presented any evidence. Innocent until proved guilty is supposed to be a big thing in the west, but that has not happened. I hope that Ondrej will be able to play in the Euros.
“If he said something racist, I agree with the maximum punishment, but there is no evidence.”
Given the ridiculous nature of Zlamal’s comments, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the keeper punished by the Scottish FA before he claims he was misinterpreted.
Despite Zlamal’s claim there was no evidence of what was said, Rangers loanee Bongani Zungu also heard the vile racist abuse directed at Kamara – playing a part in the decision by UEFA to suspend him for 10 games.
In other news, Rangers icon ‘can’t believe the impact’ midfield linchpin has had at Ibrox
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