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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Liam Bryce

Neil Lennon slaughters Cypriot refs again as former Celtic boss insists officials are driving him 'crazy'

Exasperated Neil Lennon insists he "doesn't understand the officiating in this country" as he let rip at Cypriot refs again.

The Omonia Nicosia boss was left dumbfounded despite his side running out 2-0 winners over Doxa on Saturday. The former Celtic manager was sent off during last season's Cypriot Cup Final after losing his temper with the man in the middle, although Omonia eventually went on to lift the trophy.

But regardless of scooping up three points this weekend, Lennon was baffled by the time it took the officials to decide on a penalty call, admitting frustration with referees has been a theme of recent weeks. And he claims the slow decision-making drove him "crazy". Lennon said: "I am very happy with the win and performance. I thought the team were fantastic. My only criticism was we had to wait a long time for the second goal. Some of the quality of the chances we created were fantastic. The whole team functioned very well. Psychologically it's a huge win for us.

"I am not happy with the referee. I wasn't happy against Paralimni but I did not say much. But his performance... I don't understand the officiating in this country.

"Why it takes them so long to make a decision on a penalty. It drives people - players, supporters, coaches - crazy."

Up next for Lennon and his team is the small matter of a Europa League clash with Manchester United on Thursday. And he confessed it'll be a strange, as well as monumental, occasion for some of his players given they are United fans themselves.

He said: "We are all very excited about playing Manchester United for a number of reasons, obviously because they are one of the biggest clubs in the world. It will be a great experience for my players and some of them are Manchester United supporters!

"They are huge around the world so we welcome them here. However, we want to compete and get something out of the game.

"They have beaten Liverpool and Arsenal recently and they seem to have sorted themselves out after a poor start and they have steadied the ship. But every team is beatable on any given day so we must believe we can win. We must endeavour to get something out of the game to give ourselves a foothold in the group."

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