Leigh Griffiths: 'I never called referee biased'

Striker Leigh Griffiths has said that comments he made after Celtic's loss to Aberdeen on Saturday were misunderstood.

The 25-year-old was quoted as saying that referee Craig Thomson favoured the hosts and that defender Andrew Considine should have been sent off.

"I never said the referee was biased or not good at his job at all. I've got a good relationship with Craig and I have total respect for him as a referee and a man. I spoke to Craig during the game and he told me the way he saw it," Griffiths told Celtic's official website.

"It's only my opinion and it might not have come across, but all I meant was with a home team, the atmosphere, the crowd and their players going in on him, a referee can be put in a very difficult position to make a decision to show a red card.

"That is not a criticism of Craig and there is no way I would question Craig in that way at all."

The day before the fixture, Griffiths pleaded guilty to offensive chanting towards former Hearts player Rudi Skacel.