Football: STOP YOUR WHINGEING CELTS.
Byline: EUAN McLEAN ExclusiveARROGANT referee Hellmut Krug last night insisted he was RIGHT to award a controversial penalty against Celtic.
The German whistler robbed the Parkhead side of a crucial Champions League point when he gave Juventus a dodgy last-minute spot-kick.
Krug is baffled at being dubbed public enemy number one after Nicola Amoruso's blatant dive in the box.
Yet despite watching endless TV replays of the incident, and the player himself admitting he took a dive, cocky Krug refuses to admit he was in the wrong.
UEFA rules ban the whistler from discussing the game but sources close to Krug said: "He can't understand what Celtic are getting so excited about.
"They got a penalty themselves and Juventus player Edgar Davids was given a red card so it's not as if all the decisions were going against them.
"After looking at the replays of the incident on TV, Hellmut still believes he was right to award the penalty.
"He can't see why Celtic are getting so worked up about this."
Krug's defiant attitude will only further infuriate Celtic, whose brave fightback from 2-0 down counted for nothing in the end thanks to the ref's dodgy decision.
But the man widely regarded in his homeland as Germany's top whistler is no stranger to controversy.
Observers there say his performances are usually solid and consistent - but when he gets it wrong, he does so in spectacular style.Krug's most outrageous blunder came at the end of last season when he sent off the VICTIM in a headbutting incident.
The Bundesliga showdown between Kaiserslautern and Hamburg boiled over when Kaiserslautern player Schonberg Christiansen viciously butted striker Sergei Barbarez.
The stadium erupted in fury as the stricken Bosnian hitman slumped to the turf and it seemed certain Christiansen would walk.
Hapless Hellmut reached for his red card all right but, astonishingly, flashed it at Barbarez and the guilty man went unpunished.
Krug became a national laughing stock after that incident yet still his reputation in his own country has remained intact.
Celtic boss Martin O'Neill looked close to tears as he struggled to keep a lid on the rage boiling up inside him after Tuesday's game.
But he is not the only boss left fizzing by one of Krug's dodgy decisions.
Former Bayern Munich manager Uli Hoeness publicly lost the plot with Krug four years ago after an explosive 2-2 derby draw with city rivals 1860 Munich.
After seeing Bayern defender Sammy Kuffour controversially red-carded, furious Hoeness blasted the ref and called for him to be banned from handling another game involving the club for the rest of his career.
Every supporter likes to go home grumbling about the ref but it takes something extraordinary to evoke a blast from a club manager.
Krug appears to have a knack for delivering in that department.
And with his arrogant attitude making him seemingly unable to admit to his own mistakes, let alone learn from them, Hoeness and O'Neill may not be the last gaffers left cursing the name of Hellmut the Hapless.
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| Title Annotation: | Sport |
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| Publication: | Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland) |
| Date: | Sep 23, 2001 |
| Words: | 509 |
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