Former Rangers transfer target Vaclav Hladky has bizarrely backed "great man" Ondrej Kudela in the recent racism row with the Ibrox club.
The incident involving Light Blues star Glen Kamara, who alleges he was called a "f****** monkey" by Slavia Prague defender Kudela in their Europa League tie last month, is still under investigation by UEFA and Police Scotland.
Kudela's defence remains that he actually called his opponent a "f****** guy" and Hladky reckons something was perhaps lost in translation.
The ex-St Mirren goalkeeper also revealed he's been on the receiving end of hatred on social media since the incident.
He told Czech outlet iDnes: "I received some news from Scots on social media networks. We are a nation full of racists.
"Fans decided I deserved that because, like Slavia, I come from the Czech Republic. Football has been ignored.
"In the Czech Republic, everyone is writing about what Rangers did wrong, in Scotland, it's all about what Slavia did wrong.
"I believe that back home we don't realise just what a problem this allegation is.
"Rangers fans are extremely passionate, they love their club above all. When they are in the stadium, you feel the passion from the first to the last minute.
"The insult of 'you're a f****** guy' is such a Czech insult that it's not known about here.
"But Ondrej Kudela is a great man and very decent. That he would insult someone racially doesn't sit with me at all."
Hladky confirms he was inches from joining the newly crowned champions to serve as Allan McGregor's backup.
And the Salford City man regrets how the deal fell through, with Steven Gerrard instead opting for Jon McLaughlin.
He added: "Rangers interested me a lot. The transfer was really close, we were already talking about the financial terms in the contract.
"But they eventually opted for Scotland player Jon McLaughlin of Sunderland.
"I was sorry it didn't work out because my wife and I really enjoyed it in Glasgow."
