Rangers to face disciplinary action from UEFA after pitch invasion
Rangers have had the shine of their stunning Europa League victory over Borussia Dortmund dimmed somewhat as they now face disciplinary charges.
During the Light Blues’ 2-2 draw with the Bundesliga side at Ibrox, there were a number of children who invaded the pitch in the second leg.
They were quickly removed from the field of play but the club are still set to receive punishment from UEFA ahead of their round of 16 tie against Red Star Belgrade.
A club statement on the Rangers website read: “Rangers would like to remind fans that entering the field of play at any time is unacceptable and forbidden.
“The club have now been informed by UEFA that they have opened disciplinary proceedings after Thursday’s game v Borussia Dortmund due to children entering the pitch area.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to those invading the pitch. In particular, any parent found to assist their child in entering the pitch area will be subject to club disciplinary policy.”
Don’t ruin it
It’s understandable that young fans, in particular, want to get the match worn shirt of their heroes but there are much better ways to go about it.
Running onto the field of play is not one of them and it is the fault of the parents as much as it is the child themselves.
Parents taking their kids to games need to be much more vigilant in stopping them from invading the pitch regardless of how much they may want someone’s shirt.
As the club say, it is unacceptable to see this happen at a football game and this charge from UEFA is 100% justified.
This isn’t about being a spoil-sport for these kids, but they should be able to enjoy the experience of Ibrox without doing this kind of thing.
If parents need to be punished to make them aware, then so be it but it cannot happen again whatsoever.
In other Rangers news, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side will wear a special all-white kit for the first time against Aberdeen on Saturday.