Rangers fans have thrown their support behind midfielder Glen Kamara after he was racially abused in the club’s 2-0 Europa League defeat to Slavia Prague.
The Ibrox side was beaten by the better team in a steep learning curve at this level but the match was overshadowed by the second-half incident involving Kamara and Czech defender Ondřej Kúdela.
With the match over as a contest – Slavia 2-0 up and Rangers down to 9 men – Kúdela walked over to Kamara and whispered something into his ear before covering his mouth.
The ex-Arsenal academy midfielder, 25, then reacted angrily with BT Sport pundit Alan Hutton later confirming Kamara began screaming “racist” towards the referee.
Bongani Zungu – another of Rangers’ black players – also reacted to the incident, before club captain for the night Connor Goldson flipped when told.
Watch it play out below:
https://twitter.com/NYCRFC/status/1372747663880417281
Goldson gunned for a timid and cowardly Kúdela on the pitch with the defender cowering behind his teammates in a slimy reaction which sums up the character of the man.
The actions of Kúdela – which both he and Slavia refute – then sparked a horrific reaction online where Slavia fans began to abuse Rangers players.
Forward Kemar Roofe – who was sent off for a high boot clash with goalkeeper Ondřej Kolář – was targeted by rival supporters on Instagram in the aftermath of the match.
The situation drew the ire of Steven Gerrard post-match, the Ibrox gaffer calling out the racism – which Slavia deny – and claiming he unequivocally backs his player.
Rangers fans too – standing alongside their midfielder and any of other players who’ve been racially abused – raised a fist in solidarity with the message clear. Kick Racism out of Football:
https://twitter.com/W_S_40/status/1372697636558549001
https://twitter.com/titaniumgirl86/status/1372704241626796035
https://twitter.com/timgers12/status/1372685852971835396
https://twitter.com/Joshuaselfridg9/status/1372815163368353792
The fall-out to the incident has only just begun and we expect more to come from this with Slavia themselves defiant regarding the accusations.
Everyone at Rangers News stands – unequivocally – with Glen Kamara and any other players who’ve been racially abused.
