Levein hails referee's no-nonsense approach

PAUL KIDDIE

HEARTS boss Craig Levein today praised Bulgarian referee Anton Genov for his handling of the UEFA Cup clash with Braga.

Time and again the Portuguese stars threw themselves to the Murrayfield turf last night, their play-acting during the Jambos’ 3-1 victory incensing the home side.

Goalkeeper Paulo Santos was one of the main culprits, constantly trying to get opponents into bother with his antics. The official, though, refused to be conned by Braga’s unsporting behaviour, keeping a firm grip on the first round, first leg clash.

"I thought the referee had a particularly good game," said the Hearts boss.

"He didn’t allow any of the antics of the players to disrupt the flow of the game. He told the players to get up on their feet when they went down apparently injured, and each time they did so it was proved there was nothing wrong with them - especially the goalkeeper."

Taken from the Scotsman