SCOTLAND’S SHAME: EVEN AFTER RANGERS TAKEOVER CLUB STILL WON’T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR FAN MISCONDUCT
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
You’ll notice some interesting takes in this morning’s papers regarding the latest statement to emerge from the Stadium that John Brown played for.
Of course neither The Daily Record nor The S*n bother to highlight how embarrassing it is for Scottish football that on the eve of one of the biggest matches at Ibrox in years, the club needs to issue statements pleading with fans not to act like feral animals.
Actually, I retract that. That last statement was over the top and unfair. After all, with proper training, even the most aggressive of feral animals can eventually be taught to behave itself!
Ibrox Statement Wording Shows that, Post Rangers Takeover, Petulance Remains
In today’s extremely fragile, easily offended world, words matter. Often it's not what you say, but the way in which you choose to say it that determines its impact.
So, I was saddened but not surprised that no-one seems to have picked up on the none-too-subtle bit of pandering to the fascist underclass that attaches itself to Rangers in the club's latest statement.
The statement includes the following: "Supporters are reminded the club remains under a suspended stand closure sanction.
"That means should there be any repeat of what UEFA deems as ‘racist and/or discriminatory behaviour’ in any area of the stadium, the Copland Stand will be closed for a future European match.
Not the wording here. It says: “what UEFA deems as racist and/or discriminatory.”
Rangers, according to the wording of this statement, don't as a club, appear to have any issue with the offending behavior.
In other words, what this wording implies is: “We’d love to let you sing the Billy Boys and F*** the Pope until your hearts content. But those damn, woke, busybodies at UEFA won’t let us.”
Ok, I’m embellishing things a wee bit there, but you see my point. When Celtic have had such issues, they have consistently spoken of “behavior that is not welcome at Celtic Park.” Or “behavior the club deems unacceptable”.
Whether we agree with their stance or not, and I often don't agree with Celtic’s official stance with regards to political expressions at games, is not really the point.
Celtic always make it abundantly clear that this is the club telling fans what is acceptable and what isn't.
Rangers haven't done that with this statement. They’ve passed the buck once again. It’s shameful, it’s embarrassing, but so too is the fact that nobody in our mainstream press has noticed this let alone called it out.
It gets better though. If you were in any doubt about Rangers retaining their longstanding title as Scotland’s shame, look what the statement said next:
"Ahead of this match, and indeed the season, the club also reminds supporters the throwing of objects onto the pitch is unacceptable, illegal, and will lead to serious consequences for the club and the potential arrest of the individuals responsible.”
Again, they aren't saying “Rangers fans should know better than to throw objects.” They say that doing so could lead to “serious consequences for the club” and being arrested.
In other words, it's not a case of: don’t do this because it's wrong. Rather they’re saying don't do this, because we’ll get in trouble if you do, and so might you.
Again, some could say I’m being pedantic here. But words matter. This wishy-washy statement, that abdicates responsibility for unacceptable fan conduct to UEFA and then the police is indicative of the ongoing, totally misplaced victim complex that, frankly, is one of the main reasons why the new Rangers have struggled so badly to compete since their birth.
It’s always someone else’s fault. Isn't it?
I genuinely hoped that the one good thing to come out of the Rangers Takeover might be a final, firm stance against all this crap. But no, normal service, it seems, has now been resumed.
And still they wonder why we call them Scotland’s Shame.
