I just tried to shake his hand — but he told me to f*** off

SAYS LEE ERWIN

“He reacted badly. It is embarrassing”

MOTHERWELL striker Lee Erwin last night branded Bilel Mohsni an ‘embarrassment’ after being left with a bloody face following an astonishing bust-up with the Rangers hot-head at the end of the Premiership Play-Off Final. Erwin was kicked and then punched by the Tunisian after he had shoved Mohsni for refusing his handshake following the Steelmen’s 3-0 win at Fir Park. The victory secured Motherwell’s survival in the top flight at the expense of promotion hopefuls Rangers. And, incredibly, more than an hour after the final whistle, Mohsni had to be restrained next to the the Rangers team bus as he attempted to continue the fight with Erwin. Sportsmail understands Erwin was signing autographs at the time and security staff had to intervene to stop a fresh confrontation between the two players. It was an extraordinary and ugly climax to the second-ever Premiership Play-Off Final and, at the end of the melee, referee Craig Thomson issued red cards to Mohsni, Erwin and Motherwell’s unused substitute Fraser Kerr. In an astonishing after-match interview with BT Sports, bloodied boyhood Rangers fan Erwin criticised the Tunisian, who is out of contract and almost certain to have played his last game for Rangers. ‘I tried to shake Mohsni’s hand to wish him all the best but he told me to ‘f*** off’. I pushed him away and he reacted badly,’ said Erwin. ‘A player at a club at that level shouldn’t be acting like that. It’s embarrassing for him and the club. But I wish him all the best.’ Later, Erwin took to social media to tweet: ‘What a day. Great result and performance from the boys. I thought the boxing was on last night, but #embarrassing.’ Erwin also took the opportunity to stick the boot into Rangers about their performance in the 6-1 aggregate defeat. Asked if Motherwell deserved to stay up, he said: ‘Yes, we battered them. We were a class above them. I grew up supporting Rangers as a young boy but they can wait their turn.’ Motherwell midfielder Stephen Pearson was not involved in the brawl, but he witnessed the scenes. ‘I think Mohsni kicked Lee and then punched him,’ said Pearson. ‘That’s what I saw. And then all the bodies came in. In football matches, the safety of players on both sides is the most important thing. I’ve never experienced something like that before, so I don’t really know what the procedure is.’ Former Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan, who was working at the Play-Off Final in his capacity as pundit for BT Sport, claimed Erwin should take a share of the blame. ‘I think Erwin has a part to play,’ said Craigan. ‘As much as he put his hand out to shake Mohsni’s hand, if he doesn’t want to do it, then let him go. ‘Motherwell had a job to do and did it. ‘There was no need to antagonise him by pushing him. It doesn’t take much to set Mohsni off.’ Fellow pundit and Scotland manager Gordon Strachan accused Mohsni of never having had a strong enough character to handle playing for Rangers. Strachan said: ‘He cares more about himself than he does about the club or his team-mates.’