by Paul Macdonald

Created on: June 09, 2008

It will come as no surprise to followers of European football to witness the horrific scenes of football violence that followed the UEFA cup final in Manchester. Rangers fans, albeit a minority, rampaged through the city centre, attacking policeman, throwing bottles and leaving the city centre in a state of carnage.

Rangers have retorted by reiterating that it was a small percentage of a travelling support that amassed over 120,000, based on conservative estimates. The fact remains however that Rangers supporters have simply refused to learn their lesson from the past.

In 1972, Rangers won the Cup Winners Cup in Barcelona, a fantastic achievement for the club in what was a thrilling match. However, due to the conduct of the travelling support, Rangers had to receive the trophy within the confines of their dressing for fear of further rioting by the incessant Rangers hooligans. This group were thoroughly lambasted at the time for ruining what has proved to be the club only European success, and still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the Catalans who so readily welcomed them that day.

Fast forward to 2007, and Rangers are back in Barcelona to face the Spanish giants in a Champions League clash. If the Scottish press were to be believed, the travelling support conducting themselves admirably on this occasion. However, further investigation into this finds an open letter to Rangers in a Catalan newspaper urging the Rangers fans never to return to the city they had spent the last week urinating and defecating all over. Furthermore, Catalan authorities spoke of their disgust at the clean-up that was necessary after the last flight to Glasgow had left.

7 months later, just last week, in Manchester, and history was repeating itself. Rangers in a European final, and once more a city was left in tatters. Only this time the English press were not so quick to disguise their reprehensible behaviour. News footage played on a loop of Rangers fans beating a police officer to the ground, breaking his arm, and injuring 22 others in the process.

Ranger fans are not bad people, far from it - they have a loyal support, a passionate following, but they also harbor a dangerous undercurrent of individuals that are willing to drag the clubs' name through the mud in the name of wanton destruction and hooliganism.
It should be made clear that this is a Rangers, and not a Scottish, disease. Scotland's Tartan Army notoriously self-police their own support to ensure respect is shown to wherever they visit. As a result, Scotland's national team support are welcomed warmly in all corners of the globe. Even Celtic, who are by no means a innocent party in Glasgow's sectarian divide, took 80,000 supporters to Seville in their own European final, and not one arrest was made. Celtic also formed strong links when playing Spanish side Villarreal in 2004, with the home side even opening a Celtic supporters club branch after their visit. Rangers, ironically visited Villarreal the following season, only to end up smashing the front window of a Villarreal bus.

But what is the reason for this?

This may lie with Rangers supporters holding stronger links to England, and the Queen, than to the country of their origin. Major clubs South of the border, such as Chelsea, support Rangers in the North, which may have contributed to some of the violence in Manchester. Having the match played in such a central location was always going to bring a large number of fans from all areas of the country - and England's hooligan element has previously been well documented.

It is time for Rangers Football Club to recognise that this problem lies at their door, and that the excuses to the contrary will no longer wash.

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