The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Slavia demand probe in to alleged Ibrox assault
Slavia Prague have asked police to investigate allegations that a Rangers player carried out an assault in the Ibrox tunnel – and claim Gers boss Steven Gerrard is a key witness.
The fresh allegations come with Light Blues chiefs having earlier hit back at what they claim are deflection tactics aimed at masking the racism storm which erupted following Thursday’s Europa League clash.
Midfielder Glen Kamara had to be held back by team-mates as he reacted with fury when Czech defender Ondrej Kudela whispered an alleged discriminatory slur into the midfielder’s ear – something Kudela denies.
The match, which was won 2-0 by Slavia after Gers had two men sent off, was played to a finish as the hosts opted against walking off in protest.
Gerrard and Rangers chairman Douglas Park, however, were later seen confronting the Slavia delegation after the fulltime whistle as they raged against the treatment of former Dundee midfielder Kamara.
Now Slavia are claiming a Rangers player landed a punch on Kudela as the altercation spilled over into the tunnel.
Uefa announced it will be investigating the game, but Slavia are also demanding
that police officers probe events.
Rangers, who face Celtic at Parkhead tomorrow, have opted not to respond to the latest development but managing director Stewart Robertson earlier released a statement insisting the newlycrowned Scottish champions will object to any attempt to “deflect” away from the alleged racial abuse.
Gerrard has already warned Uefa it must not allow the claims to be “brushed under the carpet”.
And Robertson has also turned up the heat on European football’s governing body as he insisted “enough is enough”.
He said in a statement: “The racist abuse suffered by Glen Kamara will not be tolerated by Rangers. As a club, we stand resolutely behind Glen as we support him and his team-mates.
“We refuse to acknowledge any attempt to defend, deflect or deny the abuse Glen Kamara experienced last night.
“This incident has been reported to the Uefa match delegate and we understand that it has formed part of his match report.”
“Uefa will be well aware the football world is watching. We expect a robust and unequivocal response in relation to this incident. It cannot be merely ‘swept under the carpet’ – we are not prepared for Glen Kamara to be yet another statistic. Enough is enough.”
Police Scotland said last night they have not heard anything from either club.
PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart said: “The racist abuse received by Glen Kamara, added to the awful incidents earlier this season involving Nir Bitton, Jonathan Afolabi and Alex Dyer, simply shows more than ever that we must continue to fight against the racists that attach themselves to our game.
“As the players union, we have been working for many years to try to eliminate racism from our game and Thursday’s incident is sadly yet another example that shows there is still a lot of work to be done.”