Scotland manager Steve Clarke has faced sharp criticism for abruptly ending a BBC interview following his team's 3-0 defeat to Brazil, a result that leaves Scotland on the brink of World Cup group stage elimination. The incident prompted talkSPORT correspondent Shebahn Aherne to tell Clarke to 'grow up' during a radio broadcast.
Post-match interview cut short
Clarke, visibly agitated after the match in Miami, walked out of the BBC interview when asked about the nerve-wracking wait to see if Scotland could secure one of the eight third-place qualification spots. The defeat was marked by elementary defensive errors that Brazil capitalised on, leaving Scotland's World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.
According to reports, this was not the first such incident. Aherne noted that Clarke had also stormed off after the previous match against Morocco, just six days earlier.
Journalist's blunt rebuke
Speaking on talkSPORT's Breakfast Show with Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent, Aherne did not hold back. 'It's not good enough. Who do you think you are?! Do you think you're Pep? Because you're not,' she said.
She acknowledged Clarke's role in getting Scotland to their first World Cup since 1998, saying, 'That's down to Clarke, so I get that he's done his bit.' However, she criticised his behaviour: 'You have to front up to it as a lot of people have spent a lot of money being here and following this team, representing Scotland. You're our guy, our gaffer, and you come out and can't even suit up for a moment and front up to it. That really bothers me.'
Impact on Scotland's World Cup campaign
Scotland now need four specific results from seven other group stage fixtures to go their way to advance. The defeat to Brazil, where Neymar was seen in tears after the match, has put Scotland in a precarious position.
Aherne concluded: 'We've not been able to speak to Clarke once on this trip... I'm really disappointed in that, because I love him, he has given up the opportunity to be here, to be at the Euros. But don't speak to people like that, don't behave like that. Just grow up.'
