Skip to main content
Daily Star

Ex-Premier League boss slams 'terrible' Scotland whose football would 'embarrass Pele'

Argentina legend and former Tottenham manager Ossie Ardiles did not hold back in a scathing assessment of Scotland and Switzerland's Group A clash

Steve Clarke's Scotland earned an important point against Switzerland, that leaves them with a chance of progressing from Group A
Steve Clarke's Scotland earned an important point against Switzerland, that leaves them with a chance of progressing from Group A(Image: Nigel Keene/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)

Scotland secured an important point in their quest to reach the knockout stages of Euro 2024 with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland.

But not everyone was impressed with the way Steve Clarke's men went about holding a Xherdan Shaqiri-inspired Swiss side to a draw in Cologne. The Tartan Army no doubt found every second of the nail-biting contest a tense and gripping affair, especially after being hammered 5-1 by Germany in their opening game.


Yet Argentina legend and former Tottenham manager Ossie Ardiles, 71, was not glued to his seat watching at home on TV - and took to social media to blast the performance. And the World Cup winner launched a bizarre rant in which he claimed the late Brazil legend Pele would have been offended by what unfolded in Group A.


READ MORE: Jude Bellingham's romance with WAG Laura Celia Valk is a 'fake' stunt, sources claim

READ MORE: Gary Lineker admits he will apologise to Frank Lampard after BBC jibe at Chelsea legend

Slating the punditry and commentary teams on BBC to boot, the ex-Newcastle boss moaned: "Scotland vs Switzerland. What a terrible terrible game it was. How can two teams play so bad? No idea going forward.

Article continues below

"Pele, immortals words: Football is the beautiful game... You must be joking. What an embarrassment. The comments in TV, if anything, even worse!"

What did you think of Ossie Ardiles' comments? Let us know in the comments section below

Ex Tottenham Hotspur player and manager Osvaldo Ardiles
Ex Tottenham Hotspur player and manager Osvaldo Ardiles(Image: GETTY)

Buy England's Euro 2024 kit
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
From £84.99
Nike
Shop here

The Three Lions are among the favourites to win this summer's Euro 2024 tournament and you can get your hands on the brand new Nike home and away kits before the first whistle.

Scott McTominay opened the scoring after just 13 minutes when the Manchester United man's shot deflected in off Newcastle defender Fabian Schar. However, after another 13 minutes passed a defensive cock-up by Scotland saw former Liverpool winger Shaqiri hit a wonderstrike into the top corner to make it 1-1.

Both teams pushed for the winner, the Scots hitting the woodwork and Switzerland having a goal ruled offside in the second half. Yet that seemingly wasn't enough drama to keep former midfielder Ardiles entertained.

Article continues below

But then he was famous for playing five forwards during his time in charge at White Hart Lane. A bold tactic that saw him lead Spurs to - checks notes - 15th in the Premiership.

Ardiles was sacked just months into the following season with the Lilywhites in the bottom half of the table, despite fielding an attack that boasted Jurgen Klinsmann, Teddy Sheringham, Ilie Dumitrescu, Darren Anderton and Nick Barmby.

One fan replied to his comment: "Disappointed in you Ossie, not every team is blessed with a Maradona, Cruyff or Pele. Each team tried the best they could with the talents they possessed, they both attacked and neither sat back and played dull, defensive football for the draw."

Follow Daily Star:


Premier LeagueEuro 2024Scotland
reach logo

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.