Ikpeba not bothered by Amoruso abuse claims

Victor Ikpeba, the Borussia Dortmund forward, yesterday insisted that he had "no problems" with Lorenzo Amoruso, the Rangers captain who was allegedly caught on television mouthing racial abuse at the Nigerian during their Uefa Cup match on Tuesday.

Victor Ikpeba, the Borussia Dortmund forward, yesterday insisted that he had "no problems" with Lorenzo Amoruso, the Rangers captain who was allegedly caught on television mouthing racial abuse at the Nigerian during their Uefa Cup match on Tuesday.

Ikpeba, who opened the scoring in the game, which Dortmund went on to win on penalties, told a local radio station: "I didn't hear anything. There are always one or two harsh words in football and it was a very emotional night.

"I was very happy and Amoruso was very disappointed. I have no problems with him and no need to say anything against him."

Dortmund say they have no plans to complain to Uefa. "Victor says he has no problem with Amoruso," a club spokesman said. "They shook hands at the end of the game and while we are aware of the stories in Scotland, the matter is finished as far as we are concerned."

Uefa has yet to receive the observations of the Turkish referee, Sarvan Oguz. However, the game's European governing body is eager to stamp out racism on the field and Amoruso could yet be charged.

"We treat this type of incident very seriously," a Uefa spokeswoman said. "If there are signs that something has happened then we can use video evidence. The referee's report is due in within 24 hours and we will decide what to do after that."