SCOTLAND and Lithuania were last night locked in a Euro 2012 war of words over the Baltic nation's reputation as a bunch of divers and cheats.
Skipper Darren Fletcher has called on inexperienced Turkish ref Cuneyt Cakil to get tough with any Lithuanian conmen after he was caught out the last time the sides met.
Notorious Lithuanian diver Saulius Mikoliunas copped a two game UEFA ban for cheating to win a penalty at Hampden in 2007. On that occasion he hoodwinked the ref after gliding past Fletcher inside the box and tumbling when no contact was made.
But Mikoliunas yesterday blasted Fletcher and Co as hypocrites claiming Kenny Miller is as big a fraud as he is!
Fletcher though would hate to see Scotland caught out again by skulduggery and said: "You've just got to trust in the referees, that's all you can do.?Hopefully the player himself has also learned from what he did last time.
"Now that I realise it's part of football it doesn't make it any easier to accept Ð after all, it is cheating Ð but until TV technology or some other deterrent comes in we're stuck with it.
"It was a bad experience because it was me who made the alleged foul, but I did lunge in and I didn't get the ball, so maybe I needed to learn that if you do that in the box it can look suspicious.
"But the ref has to be strong enough to know what's going on. In Europe, there's no doubt our more aggressive style gets punished more, but we're experienced enough that we should know these situations well enough by now."
Former hearts ace Mikoliunas, though, is fed-up being branded a cheat especially by Scots.The midfielder now playing with FC Arsenal in Ukraine claims Scotland is guilty of double standards after Rangers striker Miller handled en route to scoring the winner the last time the two sides met in Kaunas four years ago.
Miko hit back and said: "I'm prepared for the Scotland fans to give me abuse.I know they're going to do that, but I don't care.?But why does nobody speak about the second goal Miller scored here in 2006??He handled the ball just before he scored. Nobody speaks about that.?
"After my dive against Scotland I have seen so many other players doing the same.It's made out that only foreigners dive.Of course what I did was not right. I know that I was wrong but as I have said before, sometimes it just happens, you know? You don't want to do it, but you just do. It's instinct?
"I got a ban for two games but maybe I was just the one who was picked on. Maybe it was because we are a small country."
Mikoliunas was not the only Lithuanian blamed for diving against Scotland.In 2003, Darius Maciulevicius went down easily after a Jackie McNamara tackle and Lithuanian sealed a 1-0 win thanks to the resultant spot-kick.
The background to tonight's opening Euro 2012 qualifier just adds spice to a tie which is key to both nations hopes of battling for a play-off place in a group containing Spain, the Czech Republic and Liechtenstein.