The Unirea Uproar - UEFA Must Act

[Frankie 8,552]

...and so must you!

 

As have most decent football fans, I watched the stadium trouble at half-time on Wednesday with a mixture of concern and anger. The Rangers away support having problems abroad is nothing new and I immediately thought the worst. Supporters arguing with stewards, fights breaking out, CS gas being used and seats being thrown - all signs of serious problems. But where does the fault lie and what was the real issue? Do Rangers deserve to be charged or should UEFA look a bit closer to home before dishing the dirt?

 

First of all I think it is important to acknowledge that a tiny minority of Rangers supporters are our own worst enemy. No matter the provocation, arguing with non-English speaking stewards/police on foreign shores isn't going to improve a situation in the short-term. To that end, the dozen or so fans who let their tempers get the better of them should be criticised and investigated by the appropriate authorities.

 

However, it appears that the true story of what happened is more complicated than a few fans brawling with over-zealous stewards. As we can see in the email thread below from 'Tannochside Bear' once again the infrastructure and organisation for the safety of the thousands of travelling fans is nothing short of diabolical and completely unacceptable. TB's experience seems to be a common one from reading the forums and speaking to friends/family who were at the game.

 

As such, while the few who contributed to the trouble need to be punished for their part, there are other more important questions to consider by the relevant parties such as Rangers FC, Strathclyde Police, UEFA, the Foreign Office and the Scottish First Minister:

 

1. Why is the safety of our fans and citizens constantly compromised when visiting other countries for football matches?

 

2. What pressure can our home authorities bring to UEFA and countries like Romania and Spain (to name but two) to ensure our supporters are well looked after when abroad?

 

3. How best can these supporters be policed to stop heavy drinking and other questionable activities which can contribute to trouble?

 

4. At what point will Rangers FC do more to examine all three of these issues above given the ongoing and consistent problems of recent years? Bland statements after the fact are doing no good whatsoever.

 

May I suggest that every Rangers fan concerned about travelling to away matches abroad write to the club, UEFA, their local MP and the First Minister asking them to take up the baton on our behalf. Please don't quote from this article (or other emails) but write your own in a polite, objective fashion to receive the same courtesy back.

 

Rangers supporters have a proud history of representing their club and country in a friendly manner all over the world. We have the right to do so in a safe environment in conjunction with good policing, sensible stewarding and risk-free stadia. All relevant authorities should be doing their utmost to provide that.

 

Contact First Minister: scottish.ministers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Contact UEFA: info@uefa.com

Contact Foreign Office: msu.correspondence@fco.gov.uk

Contact Rangers FC: webmail@rangers.co.uk

Contact Rangers Supporters Assembly: assembly@thebluenose.co.uk