Italian ref Marco Guida admitted just days ago he relies on VAR to help out his blunders after Rangers were left fuming over his controversial Champions League red card to Jefte.

Ten-man Rangers were dumped out of Europe's premier competition by Dynamo Kyiv after Guida showed a second yellow card to the Brazilian wide man for what he perceived as an elbow to Oleksandr Karavayev.

Raging Rangers boss Philippe Clement called it the worst decision he had seen in football for 30 years and confronted the 43-year-old after the game.

Guida - who was a talented player himself before a knee injury stopped his progress and he moved into refereeing - is even nicknamed 'Pirlo' among his fellow Italian officials because of his skills with the ball.

Ahead of the start of the new Serie A season, Guida was interviewed in his homeland about the new campaign and new measures brought into the game.

And he admitted how much he relies on VAR, which couldn't intervene in the incident with Jefte because the system can't overturn bookings.

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Guida said: "The VAR system has saved me on numerous occasions, although the final decision always lies with the referee.

"VAR sends you to watch an incident that you may have misjudged at first. But the decision is still yours.

"The important thing to remember is that we're also human.

"The players miss crucial penalties, the managers make the wrong substitutions.

"So if we make mistakes, we always do so in good faith."

And he demanded players and managers stop complaining about decisions this season...which was ignored in his very first game of the season with Rangers irate at the red card.

He said: "Stop with the protests. Managers and players.

"From now on we will only be able to give explanations to the captain and everyone else must avoid protesting every decision, otherwise the yellow card will be issued.

"We don't want any more cliques, mobbing and unnecessary pressure.

"There will be zero tolerance for that kind of behaviour from players and managers."

Jefte's sending off was the 54th red card Guida has issued in his career in 395 games.