Rangers warn everybody “must be prepared” to face “proper scrutiny” over the on-pitch clashes at Ibrox after Celtic knocked them out of the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.
4 days on from the occasion, after each golf equipment had been criticised by police for failing to talk out, Rangers broke their silence on the ugly scenes that marred Celtic’s shoot-out win.
The Glasgow membership condemned the dysfunction and welcomed a Scottish FA-commissioned unbiased evaluate after cops had been injured and followers arrested on Sunday.
Rangers say they “will represent the club and our supporters robustly” when cooperating with the authorities.
Spectators run onto the pitch at Ibrox
“The disorder that occurred on Sunday was unacceptable and we condemn it unequivocally,” a membership assertion learn.
“There are actually numerous critical points which require correct examination. For that cause, we agree that there needs to be a completely unbiased evaluate into the occasions surrounding the match.
“That evaluate have to be thorough and wide-ranging, analyzing the selections and actions of all related events. Its scope should embody the broader context round this fixture, from the preliminary selections on ticket allocations by to the sequence of incidents that adopted the match.
“All parties must be prepared to have their actions and decision-making subjected to proper scrutiny.”
Police at Ibrox separating followers of Rangers and Celtic after they entered the pitch
Any followers which might be recognized and convicted of offences linked to the match will face “appropriate sanctions”, Rangers say, together with “the potential withdrawal of ticketing privileges and stadium bans”.
Nonetheless, Rangers add that they’ll “not accept a narrative that ignores the full context of what happened”.
“We recognise that many fans want the club to say more at this stage, and supporters should be assured that we are across the detail of the issues being discussed and the questions being raised,” the assertion continued.
“However, it is important that we respect any ongoing investigative or judicial processes and do nothing that could prejudice them. There will be an appropriate time to address those matters fully.”
The assertion added: “It is important that the reputation of Rangers supporters is treated fairly in this discussion.
“Tens of hundreds of individuals attended Ibrox on Sunday merely to assist their crew with satisfaction and to look at a soccer match.”
Rangers called out the “vile” and “cowardly” graffiti they discovered in the stadium referencing the Ibrox Disaster, which took the lives of 66 supporters in January 1971.
“What we are able to say now’s that problems with stadium security and the legacy of the Ibrox Catastrophe are deeply private to this membership,” the statement read.
“We had been appalled to find graffiti throughout the stadium referencing that tragedy. The reminiscence of the 66 supporters who misplaced their lives in January 1971 deserves dignity and respect. To desecrate their reminiscence is vile. It’s cowardly. It’s shameful.
“This is not football rivalry and it is not banter. It is the abuse of a tragedy that claimed 66 lives.”
