Rangers v Athletic Bilbao ‘clouded in fear’ over what fans are going to do
Rangers have a glamour European tie coming up as they prepare to face La Liga side Athletic Bilbao, but there is a worry.
Barry Ferguson helped navigate Rangers past Fenerbahce on penalties in the round of 16, in a dramatic night at Ibrox, but events off the pitch overshadowed the victory.
A banner displayed in the stands at Ibrox read ‘Keep woke foreign ideologies out, defend Europe,’ in a message deemed to be offensive.
The club condemned the banner and promised to issue lifetime bans, and UEFA have charged Rangers and threatened partial stadium closures if similar actions happen again.
Rangers fans’ worry overshadows Athletic Bilbao tie
With Rangers set to host Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final, it has now been claimed that the club have not done enough to ease fears over similar fan action against the Basque side.
“Something has gone seriously wrong for such a showpiece match as this to be clouded in fear and concern over illicit songs and inflammatory banners resulting in UEFA enforcing the closure of the Copeland Stand for games under their jurisdiction for the next two years,” journalist Gary Keown wrote in The Scottish Mail On Sunday (page 88, April 6.)
| Opposition | Date |
| Athletic Bilbao (Home) | April 10 |
| Aberdeen (Away) | April 12 |
| Athletic Bilbao (Away) | April 17 |
“What has happened to result in the Ibrox board handing out lifetime bans for the message ‘defend Europe,’ – now understood to be a right-wing slogan in certain countries – being flown against Fenerbahce and threatening to disband their ultras section.”
Rangers fans could cost club with further offensive banners
There will be concern from sections of the fanbase that a minority may end up causing a lot of issues for the club if more offensive banners are displayed at Ibrox.
Rangers are on thin ice with UEFA, and could be hit with stadium closures and fines in future European competitions should further banners be raised.
A partial stadium closure in Europe could hit Rangers hard financially in terms of lost revenue, and it will also cost their fans as less tickets would be available if the whole Copeland Stand is emptied.
On the pitch, the tie with Athletic Bilbao is Rangers’ last chance for a trophy, and they are up against it with Athletic Club in strong form in La Liga.
The players and coaching staff will be hoping for no distractions in the stands on what could be a famous night at Ibrox, and the vocal support of the Rangers faithful could play a huge part in their attempts in pulling off a shock victory.