BLAME GAME
++ Swinney insists Rangers should have done more about fans ++ Refuses to rule out further action against football
JOHN SWINNEY has accused Rangers of not doing enough to discourage fans from flouting Covid regulations during the weekend’s Premiership title celebrations.
And the Deputy First Minister’s comments were echoed by Police Scotland after they claimed the newly-crowned champions had failed to support police pleas to tell fans to either stay in or go home.
Swinney warned Scottish football that ‘further action’ could be taken if there is any repeat of the ‘disgraceful’ scenes which saw huge numbers of jubilant supporters gather at Ibrox and George Square in defiance of social-distancing guidelines.
Now fears are growing that public health could be put at risk again if fans congregate at Celtic Park when Rangers play their fierce rivals a week on Sunday.
It was reported last night that Rangers had written to Holyrood to take issue with Swinney’s claims. But the Deputy First Minister says the Scottish Government will express their ‘extreme disappointment’ to the Ibrox side after insisting their ‘silence was deafening’ over the matter.
Urging all clubs and the football authorities to take a tougher line, he told an official Covid briefing: ‘We’re going to engage once again, as we did before the weekend’s events, with clubs on their obligations to support the wider messaging in place — to enforce what is the law in the country about staying at home and avoiding crowded places.
‘There are a number of difficult
landmark events coming up in the football calendar. And we’ve got to be satisfied we don’t run the risk of a repeat of what we saw at the weekend. ‘If there is a need for further action to be taken, the government will consider that. I’m certainly not going to rule anything out today.’ Speaking after Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith warned that the weekend’s events are likely to have a detrimental impact on Covid figures in the Central Belt, Swinney said: ‘We will certainly intensify the discussions we have with the clubs and with football authorities. Now, we did all that before the football match, so there was no lack of dialogue about this. It’s obviously not got the type of communication we would have liked to have seen come out of Rangers. ‘The Scottish Government will be making our extreme disappointment at the lack of leadership clear to the team management.’ Meanwhile, Detective Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said: ‘The behaviour which we saw at the weekend was disgraceful and I utterly condemn the individuals who chose to completely disregard the coronavirus regulations, putting both the wider community and our officers at risk. ‘I also strongly condemn the lack of support from Rangers Football Club over the messages we repeatedly asked them to put out to persuade fans not to go out celebrating and encourage those who did gather in large numbers to return home.’ He added: ‘It was very clear through the lack of messaging that Rangers did not take seriously their responsibilities in terms of seeking to persuade their fans to celebrate safely and responsibly.’ Rangers did not condemn the actions of their fans but yesterday released a statement and two short clips of manager Steven Gerrard — one from his pre-match press conference last Friday and another immediately after Saturday’s home win over St Mirren — warning of the need for fans to stay safe. The club statement read: ‘During the last number of weeks, Rangers can confirm that we initiated open dialogue with key stakeholders in relation to the possibility of us achieving a historic 55th league title. ‘We have proactively engaged with our local MP, the Justice Minister, the Scottish Government, Police Scotland and the SPFL in relation to maintaining a cohesive message regarding public safety during the Covid-19 pandemic. ‘We understand the jubilance of our support across the world who recognise this has been a historic year for the club. ‘Nevertheless, it has been of great frustration for all football fans across the world that they have not been able to watch their team within stadiums, especially for the loyal Rangers season-ticket holders who have stood by this football club through thick and thin in the last decade. ‘We reiterate the message from our manager, Steven Gerrard, who highlighted that fans should adhere to government guidelines — stay safe, socially distance and look after each other in this difficult time. ‘We are aware there is the possibility of more, significant milestones within this season, and we will continue to proactively engage with key stakeholders to maintain a cohesive message in relation to government guidance at this present time. ‘We look forward to further open dialogue with the government, police, SPFL and other key stakeholders.’ Rangers, the SFA and SPFL all failed to respond to requests for further comment.