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Rangers Charged By UEFA Over Fan Violence
'Gers in trouble over supporter unrest.
Nov 5, 2009 2:00:29 PM
Rangers have been charged by UEFA with the improper conduct of their supporters after Wednesday night's Champions League showdown with Unirea Urziceni in Romania.
Fans were seen on TV scuffling, destroying seats and clashing with stewards at the 1-1 draw in Bucharest, and UEFA's control and disciplinary body will deal with the case next Thursday, despite Rangers Supporters Assembly chief Andy Kerr earlier referring to the events as a 'minor incident'.
Responding to the charge, Rangers chief executive Martin Bain said, as quoted by the Press Association: "We have been informed by UEFA that disciplinary proceedings have been instigated in relation to the throwing of missiles and crowd disturbances.
"As already stated, I am not for a moment condoning the action of some supporters to the unfolding events within the stadium.
"But as a club, the preparations which were agreed and insisted upon were not adhered to and this in turn jeopardized the safety of our supporters."
Bain also affirmed his belief that over-zealous policing exacerbated the problems.
"We are fully aware of the indiscriminate use of CS gas and the difficulties experienced by our fans entering the stadium," he added.
"All these factors will be presented fully by the club to UEFA in our submission."
UEFA's head of communications Rob Faulkner told BBC Scotland: "We take any incident like this seriously, but we have to get all the facts."
Jonny Esthero, Goal.com
Talk all things soccer with the rest of our readers in the Goal.com Forums
Fans were seen on TV scuffling, destroying seats and clashing with stewards at the 1-1 draw in Bucharest, and UEFA's control and disciplinary body will deal with the case next Thursday, despite Rangers Supporters Assembly chief Andy Kerr earlier referring to the events as a 'minor incident'.
Responding to the charge, Rangers chief executive Martin Bain said, as quoted by the Press Association: "We have been informed by UEFA that disciplinary proceedings have been instigated in relation to the throwing of missiles and crowd disturbances.
"As already stated, I am not for a moment condoning the action of some supporters to the unfolding events within the stadium.
"But as a club, the preparations which were agreed and insisted upon were not adhered to and this in turn jeopardized the safety of our supporters."
Bain also affirmed his belief that over-zealous policing exacerbated the problems.
"We are fully aware of the indiscriminate use of CS gas and the difficulties experienced by our fans entering the stadium," he added.
"All these factors will be presented fully by the club to UEFA in our submission."
UEFA's head of communications Rob Faulkner told BBC Scotland: "We take any incident like this seriously, but we have to get all the facts."
Jonny Esthero, Goal.com
Talk all things soccer with the rest of our readers in the Goal.com Forums
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