The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Tavernier hails race summit but calls for stronger measures
Rangers skipper James Tavernier has welcomed Scottish football’s show of unity in combatting racism – but warned that yesterday’s Hampden summit must not become just another box-ticking exercise.
Scotland’s clubs were invited to a meeting aimed at tackling the rise in discriminatory abuse following the alleged race storm involving Gers midfielder Glen Kamara.
The Finland midfielder claims he was called a “f ****** monkey” by Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela during this month’s explosive Europa League clash at Ibrox, while striker Kemar Roofe received online abuse in the wake of the last-16 clash.
There has been widespread backing for the Ibrox pair, with Celtic skipper Scott Brown even embracing Old Firm rival Kamara ahead of the recent derby showdown.
Tavernier led the Ibrox delegation to yesterday’s summit, organised by the SFA. He was pleased to see Scotland’s clubs coming together, but he stressed it must not become another meaningless gesture that does little to solve the problems faced by black players.
The Light Blues captain told the club’s website: “This was a very useful exercise and it was pleasing to be able to air my views to the rest of the clubs in the SPFL as well as the SFA.
“Every black player in our squad had been the victim of racist abuse this season, either online or in the case of Glen Kamara, on the field of play. This is unacceptable and must stop.
“It is vital that football authorities, clubs, government bodies and social media companies work together to educate and empower to ultimately, eradicate hatred from our game and society in general.
“We are keen to continue to engage but highlighted that we need to see clear outcomes from discussions rather than simply ticking a box.”
Slavia Prague chiefs have demanded Rangers put a halt to what they describe as “escalating biased pressure” being applied to Uefa and police investigating the alleged racial abuse.
Slavia president Jaroslav Tvrdik claimed Kudela is being treated as already guilty.
Tvrdik said: “The pending investigations conducted by the officials of Uefa and the local police have made no findings but our player Ondrej Kudela has already been the subject of a public ‘conviction’ without any evidence whatsoever. He is a victim of prejudice and a presumption of guilt.”
Tvrdik also repeated his claim that Kamara later assaulted Kudela in the Ibrox tunnel in another flashpoint after the final whistle.
That incident is also being investigated by Police Scotland