Rangers player Rabbi Matondo disqualified from driving after being caught speeding to Ibrox

A Rangers footballer had police fearing he could have caused a high speed motorway crash as he raced to Ibrox Stadium.

Rabbi Matondo, 24, was in his Audi Q8 on Glasgow’s M8 motorway at the Kingston Bridge on August 1 2023.

Matondo undertook an HGV vehicle and ran a red light as pursuing officers tried to keep tabs on him.

The Welsh international – who is currently on loan at German outfit Hannover – was later stopped and charged.

Matondo has now been found guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to a single charge of dangerous driving.

The first offender was fined £420 and disqualified from driving for a period of 12 months by Sheriff Mary Shields.

The sheriff told him: “I think overwhelmingly the way in which Mr Matondo drove the Audi car over the distance shown on CCTV is obviously far below what is expected of a driver.”

The court heard from a traffic officer constable who was with a colleague travelling in an unmarked police car with no lights or sirens that morning..

The PC said he initially noted Matondo to be tailgating their vehicle.

Police dashcam footage was then shown of Matondo’s car speeding off before he ended up at the stadium.

The officer said: “I knew it was a nice big Audi Q8 but thought if he loses control at 100 miles per hour there is a possibility of a fatality.”

The officer added that their car was driving at 80 miles per hour at the time and “we never went anywhere near [Matondo’s car].”

Ronnie Simpson, defending, put it to the officer that their own report states that Matondo’s average speed was 72 miles per hour on the 50 limit motorway.

The officer replied: “That’s an average between distances – in among that the speed was in excess of 100 miles per hour.”

The lawyer also asked why the officer charged Matondo with dangerous driving rather than hand him a fixed penalty notice.

The officer stated that there were “other elements” to Matondo’s driving and believed it to be a “course of conduct.”

The officer also told how he spoke with Matondo at Ibrox Stadium later that day.

He said: “In my opinion, he seemed remorseful and his attitude was pretty good.

“He understood what we were explaining to him and seemed to accept why we were there.”

In his closing submission to the sheriff, Mr Simpson said: “He was a young man running late to his work and did not want to let his colleagues down.”