Rangers defender Lorenzo Amoruso has hit back at allegations he spat at Ayr striker James Grady. The forward claimed the former Ibrox captain had spat at him during Saturday's Scottish Cup fourth-round tie at Somerset Park, but Amoruso has accused Grady of racism against him during the same game. He told rangers.co.uk: "He called me an Italian b......."
Amoruso maintains the spitting was merely an accident. He added: "I have never spat at a player on purpose in my life. It was a complete accident. I was clearing my throat when the player Grady happened to be running past. I did not mean to spit at him."
However, television cameras appear to show the incident clearly, and the Scottish Football Association have already put the disciplinary wheels in motion. No decision will be made until March 18, but if found guilty the Italian could face a two-match ban."
Grady has dismissed the claims of racism made by Amoruso. Speaking to the Scottish Sun, he insisted: "I didn't call Amoruso an Italian b......, no way. I admit I called him a b......, but that was only after he spat at me. He's now come out with this racist accusation - and, as far as I'm concerned, it's complete nonsense. I'm not looking to get involved in any tit-for-tat slagging match with Amoruso. He's trying to cover his own back, and I'm quite happy for him to get on with it. He knows what happened, and so do I. The truth is I wound him up during the game, and he lost the plot."
The Scottish Football Association have confirmed the allegations will be studied on video.
Filed by Shane Murray
