Fulham manager Jean Tigana – usually known for his calm persona – seemed to lose his rag after Fulham’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich this afternoon, confronting referee Mike Riley alongside Edwin van der Sar and Rufus Brevett.
Captain Andy Melville said disclosed after the final whistle that the Fulham boss was determined to give his view of Riley’s refereeing performance after the official sent off Luis Boa Morte for simulation, when the Portuguese winger appeared to have been clipped by Hermann Hreidarsson.
The Welsh international told the press afterwards:
“Jean was frustrated and wanted to get his point across. The referee’s only got a split-second to make a decision, but there were some big decisions and we were a bit disappointed with them.
“The lads thought he (Hreidarsson) might have caught Luis with his knee, but referees have got to make decisions. They have someone who sits in the crowd and assesses them, so they’re under orders and they’ve got a difficult job.
“Luis is very disappointed. He’s obviously down about what happened. He hasn’t said anything, and there’s not much you can say to someone who’s that disappointed.”