UEFA charge Rangers over Racist & Discriminatory Banner as Scottish media's silence helps to fuel the horde mentality
Rangers fans are under investigation once again for their behaviour in Europe, as UEFA have hit the Ibrox club with three charges over incidents during their game against Fenerbache last week.
Forced by the hand of UEFA, Rangers have unleashed a statement targeting their own fans over what they called ‘'deeply saddening and frankly embarrassing' behaviour.
It has been revealed that Rangers have been hit with three separate charges by European football’s governing body in the aftermath of their Europa League tie last Thursday against Fenerbahçe.
The first charge levelled at Rangers relates to a ‘racist and/or discriminatory banner’. A banner unfurled by the Union Bears in the Copland Front, which read: "Keep woke foreign ideologies out. Defend Europe."
The Rangers statement said: "Everyone associated with Rangers Football Club will undoubtedly have enjoyed the last fortnight, with the men’s first-team producing some memorable results at home and abroad.
"Contributing enormously to these occasions has been the backing of the Rangers supporters, with the world once again taking note of the phenomenal passion the club’s fans bring to these big occasions.
"It is, however, deeply saddening and frankly embarrassing that the club is now set to face significant sanctions for the actions of a very small minority.
"Firstly, the club has been charged by UEFA after a handful of supporters displayed what UEFA describe as a “racist and/or discriminatory banner” at last Thursday’s Ibrox meeting with Fenerbahce.
"Rangers is a modern, progressive football club, and we are fiercely proud of our diverse playing squads, workforce and support. For the club to be charged with such a matter in 2025 is shameful, and the disdain for those responsible will be shared by the overwhelming majority of our supporters.
"This charge will bring consequences for the club, while the club is also working to identify those responsible and will ensure they also face consequences.
"For the avoidance of doubt, if you do not believe in 2025 that absolutely everyone is welcome to follow Rangers whether at Ibrox or away, then Rangers is not the club for you, and you should disassociate yourself with the club immediately."
The Ibrox side also declared they would face another two UEFA charges from the same game - one of which relates to Fenerbahçe keeper Irfan Can Egribavat being targeted by a Rangers fan who threw a vape during the game.
The statement added: "Further, the club has also been charged by UEFA for the throwing of objects at the home match with Fenerbahce.
"This is becoming a regular occurrence, not just at Rangers matches, but across stadia in Scotland. Indeed, our players and staff were targeted with missiles at Parkhead on Sunday.
"Focusing on Ibrox, however, there was a widely-reported incident in the January Old Firm game, whilst at the recent game with Motherwell, one of our own supporters was hit and injured by an object thrown towards the away end. And now, the club faces a sanction for the actions of an individual last Thursday night.
"This senseless and criminal behaviour has no place in sport, nor in society. Again, if you think such behaviour is acceptable, you are not welcome at Rangers matches."
The third charge relates to the blocking of passageways, with Rangers confirming: "The club will also face a UEFA sanction for the blocking of passageways at the Fenerbahce match. Supporters are urged to follow the advice of stewards and police at all matches, and to take their own seat to avoid this issue occurring again."
While it is apparent that Rangers have launched a strongly worded attack on those who have caused UEFA to level sanctions against the club, it is clear that they only did so following UEFA getting involved. Otherwise the Ibrox hierarchy would have remained tight lipped - just like the Scottish mainstream media did over the banners unfurled.
The Scottish Mainstream media are culpable in condoning such behaviour
For years, the Scottish mainstream media have used bigotry and sectarianism to suit their own agendas. Be it launching an anti-bigotry campaign that lasts as long as a pint in the hands of Keith Jackson or simply to fill their quotas of columns for that week by writing about Rangers and then trying to shoehorn Celtic into the equation somehow - just to peddle the ‘they are as bad as each other’ line.
But following the aftermath of the Fenerbahçe game, the Scottish mainstream media were more interested in covering Rangers’ progression in the competition or writing articles on how shameful the Fenerbahçe fans were because they destroyed a few chairs in the away end.
When they did cover the banners, their coverage was as limited as their investigative reporting into the meaning of the banners themselves.
While the Scottish Sun went one better and claimed that the messaging on the banner was ‘so vague’ that it is unclear if any action will follow.
Even the pro-indy left leaning paper The National got in on the action, but once again they merely scratched the surface with their ‘alt-right banners’ before bringing Celtic fans into the equation for unveiling a pro-Palestinian banner during the tie against Kilmarnock.
I could go on, but the majority of other Scottish newspapers ignored the story or they refused to cover it altogether.
And this is the crux of the matter. The journalists reporters, I’ll call them reporters because they aren’t true journalists. They don’t investigate, they don’t enquire. They only regurgitate what they are told, what they see without damaging the newspapers’ commercial interests, or publish a bit part of the story so as not to throw the cat among the pigeons. That isn’t real journalism - it is data entry work revolving around copy and paste.
It took me less than five minutes to find out all about the ‘Defend Europe’ phrase. While the mainstream media hacks who paid lip service to covering the banners were happy to just claim the messaging was ‘vague’ and refusing to even mention the word racist or discriminatory until they could just copy and paste it from the UEFA charge sheet or the Rangers statement today.
For years, Scottish football has been covered by a bunch of half assed, impotent, shitehawks who turn a blind eye or worse condone the behaviour of the mob or even laugh it off as some high jinx by frustrated fans. Whether they are singing about being up to their knees in fenian blood and the rest of their sectarian repertoire, throwing missiles at Celtic players and members of staff, rioting in the streets of Britain but trying to pain the marauding horde of huns as the victims of overzealous policing, all the while a copper gets his head caved in and nearly kill him. If that wasn’t enough, you then have further half assed reporting on Rangers ultras group Union Bears being caught with weapons ahead of a Glasgow derby game or them bringing terror to the streets of Glasgow as they go rampaging through the streets looking for any Celtic fans to target no matter who they are and where they are.
This is the mentality of the supporter of Rangers 2012, and that is because the mainstream media in this country helped mould them into the thugs that they are. Their failure to properly report on the disgusting behaviour of these thugs allows them to continue to peddle their bile.
So for as long as our illustrious journalism fraternity walk around with their heads up their arses or with their noses firmly in the arse crack of the latest Rangers manager or director they have on speed dial - we will continue to see such behaviour from the sewer rats that infest the Rangers support, significantly the Union Bears.
In it’s current state the Scottish mainstream media is not fit for purpose and it is doing nothing to help combat the sectarian stain on Scottish football other than trying to profit from it.
As for Rangers, they can issue all the statements they want in the world, but actions speak louder than words.