The stakes were increased on supporter protests against the Rangers board’s short sighted decision to play Celtic in a ‘friendly’ in Australia as part of the proposed Sydney Super Cup.
At the game in Dundee yesterday, once again the anger and sense of feeling was made very clear with a series of protest actions involving chants, banners and forcing stoppages to the play on the pitch.
Whilst the active support in and around the Union Bears section was involved, the participation certainly seemed to be much more widespread in the stand housing the Rangers supporters.
The latest action against the board’s money motivated decision to play Celtic in the Australia ‘friendly’ came a few days after the Parkhead club failed to mention Rangers in their press release on the proposed tournament during the World Cup break, this coming November.
Reports from Down Under in the last week have also suggested that all isn’t well so it will be interesting to see what transpires between now and the Old Firm game at Ibrox after the international break.
Unconfirmed news has also claimed that Rangers are seeking a way out of this mess, for which the responsibility and lack of understanding lies at their own door.
Exclusive: Rangers are looking to back out from the controversial plan to play an Old Firm in Australia in November as they are looking at legal options.
Also unhappiness at the organisers of the Sydney Super Cup at how this played out. https://t.co/RnDxuCppVL
— The 4th Official 🇺🇦 (@Official_T4O) March 18, 2022
The first action in protest at the very start of the game would have had widespread support with disruption minimal. This continued with the till rolls and soon after tennis balls were chucked on to the pitch. Sky Sports could do nothing but feature and discuss this.
Chants of ‘You can stick your f*c*i*g friendly up your arse’ would have been heard again by the Rangers directors in attendance at the game, including Stewart Robertson.
At the beginning of the second half, the situation was a bit different with the team trailing on the pitch, 1-0. The supporters taking this action need to be mindful of choosing the right moments and not distracting any positive flow on the pitch, which is the players main focus.
One thing to be said is that the first half performance by Gio van Bronckhorst’s side had more of an impact in harming the league prospects more than any fan action could have. It is an emotive issue and many online were vocal in their opinions and disagreement which is fine.
What happens next?
Ultimately, those protesting are taking a principled stand and there is significant support for their actions. Looking ahead to the Celtic game, no-one wants play to be stopped so there has to be dialogue and ownership taken by the board to fix this mess and provide clarity.
Responsibility is felt by the likes of the Union Bears who will do their talking in the stands and as one seasoned protestor over the Murray years put it to me yesterday, we can’t allow a situation where both sides (club and supporters) are shooting at each other in the midst of a title run-in.
At the end of the game yesterday, the players and the manager celebrated with the away support showing that they weren’t overly caught up in it, the main objective of three points had been secured crucially. Gio struck a diplomatic tone post-match, refusing to condemn the protests, respecting supporter feeling but at the same time asking for balance and the interests of the club to be protected.
The board can take this further. Speak through the right channels, communicate with the support base and cancel the Sydney shame game.