Humza Yousaf texts revealed as ex-Ibrox chief torn to shreds, ‘Rangers will be fuming’
Humza Yousaf’s texts to a former Rangers chief have been made public after the Scottish Government revealed the highly sensitive messages.
After a four-year transparency battle, the government was forced to reveal the messages about Gers’ title celebrations in 2021.
The fans were slammed for breaching Covid restrictions and that led to plenty of conversations behind the scenes.
John Swinney brought up in conversations between Yousaf and Stewart Robertson
John Swinney, who was Nicola Sturgeon’s number two at the time, had branded the Gers supporters an “absolute disgrace”.
This is because, in his view, Rangers had failed to properly warn them about what they should and should not be doing.
After this, Stewart Robertson, the then Gers managing director, sent a message to Yousaf, complaining about Swinney.
Robertson’s message read: “Hi Humza, John Swinney is factually incorrect as we did remind the fans on both Friday and Saturday about the Covid regulations.
“I understand that he is going to make political capital but telling lies is completely unacceptable.
“I take it you won’t continue to perpetuate untruths if you are asked about them in Parliament tomorrow?
“It was Rangers that initiated discussions with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland on this issue a couple of weeks ago.
“We offered to engage with your department on Saturday when you said you would chase up Police Scotland. We never received a reply.”
| Team | Position | Points | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Goals | Conceded |
| Rangers | 1st | 102 | 32 | 6 | 0 | 92 | 13 |
Yousaf then forwarded this message from Robertson to Swinney.
He wrote: “That’s from the director at Rangers.
“Just an example of the pig-headedness of what we are dealing with here.”
He then later appeared to be gloating about the Gers bosses as he wrote: “A bit late in the day but they got there. Rangers will be fuming.”
Rangers cannot entirely be blamed for this incident
The 2021 title celebration controversy, as revealed by WhatsApp messages, highlights a situation that could have been managed more effectively by all parties, but pinning sole blame on Rangers, as the Scottish Government did, oversimplifies the issue.
The government, led by then-First Minister Sturgeon and Deputy Swinney, publicly criticised Gers and their fans for breaching Covid restrictions, with Swinney calling fan behaviour an “absolute disgrace” and accusing the club of inadequate messaging.
However, Robertson countered that the club had issued reminders and initiated talks with authorities, a claim dismissed by Yousaf as “pig-headed.”
Better coordination between the government, police and Rangers could have clarified expectations and strengthened public messaging to prevent gatherings.
The government’s harsh rhetoric and delayed police response, as Yousaf noted, escalated tensions rather than fostering collaboration.
Blaming the Ibrox outfit exclusively ignored the broader challenge of managing fan behaviour during a historic moment under pandemic constraints.
The public release of these messages, after a transparency battle, is beneficial, exposing government missteps and fostering accountability.
It underscores the need for constructive dialogue over finger-pointing, ensuring lessons for handling future public events.