Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson has said the club will not tolerate the racist abuse they say was directed at Glen Kamara during the Europa League match against Slavia Prague.
The Ibrox club claim Slavia’s Ondrej Kudela racially abused Kamara on the pitch during the Czech side’s 2-0 win.
Slavia deny the allegation and have claimed Kamara assaulted Kudela after the game.
In a statement published on the club website, Robertson said several players had been subjected to racist messaging online after the incident and that the club would stand by Kamara and every other player in opposing racist behaviour.
“Racism is unacceptable in any form and in any setting,” he said.
“The racist abuse suffered by Glen Kamara will not be tolerated by Rangers. As a club, we stand resolutely behind Glen as we support him and his teammates.
SNS Group“We stand behind each and every one of our players. Regardless of race, religion, colour or creed -if you wear the famous blue of Rangers FC, you are one of our own. Everyone, Anyone.
“Several of our players have subsequently received racist, threatening and sickening abuse online. This is abhorrent and once again highlights the responsibility social media outlets have in eradicating abuse from faceless cowards.
“We refuse to acknowledge any attempt to defend, deflect or deny the abuse Glen Kamara experienced last night.”
The managing director went on to confirm the club had reported the incident to UEFA and that Rangers expect the governing body to take strong action against Kudela.
He said: “Our manager, Steven Gerrard has already underlined his own disgust at this incident and support for our players.
“We can confirm that Steven, our chairman Douglas Park, sporting director Ross Wilson and I, met last night to agree our club stance.
“We also met with UEFA representatives. This incident has been reported to the UEFA match delegate and we understand that it has formed part of his match report.
“UEFA will be well aware the football world is watching. We expect a robust and unequivocal response in relation to this incident. It cannot be merely ‘swept under the carpet’- we are not prepared for Glen Kamara to be yet another statistic. Enough is enough.
“We note the injury sustained by Ondrej Kolar during an accidental collision last night. Our Club Doctor treated the player and we hope he has a speedy recovery. We wish the club well in the next round of the Europa League.
“There will be no further comment until we receive a response from UEFA.”
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