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EUROPE: RANGERS MANGER FEARS IBROX MAY BE FROZEN BY UEFA August 7, 2007
(SomaliNet) Rangers manager Walter Smith believes further offensive chanting from supporters will see Ibrox closed and the club possibly frozen out of any European leagues in the future.
The Glasgow club are set to be reported by Scottish Premier League delegate Alan Dick for alleged sectarian chanting during the match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday.
Tuesday night's Champions League qualifier against FK Zeta in Montenegro will also be closely scrutinised by UEFA, who have fined Rangers a total of £21,000 for past offences in European matches.
Rangers fans were found guilty of discriminatory chanting in a Champions League qualifier against Villarreal in March 2006.
Smith is concerned that any more problems would have dire consequences for Rangers who are defending a 2-0 lead from the first leg.
He said: "UEFA are wanting to stamp the problem out. They have fined the club on previous occasions.
"The next time there will be no fine. They are going to close the stadium.
"If people see that they can't come and watch a game then that might bring them to their senses.
"But I'm more concerned about the longer term implications.
"I don't think Rangers or Celtic will ever be accepted in to the Premiership.
"I believe it is more likely that a European league will form and with the situation that we are in at the moment, we would probably be prohibited from joining any such set-up.
"The consequences of that would be far-reaching for the club.
"If we are not in the position to join a European league when it is formed - and it will be - then it would have dire consequences for Rangers.
"That's what these supporters are hindering."
John Macmillan, general secretary of the Rangers Supporters' Association, has urged the club to take radical action.
"Maybe it's about time Rangers thought about putting 'sleepers' into the away supporters whenever they play away from Ibrox," Macmillan said.
"They could get a number of people that they would employ to sit among the fans for the first half and come out and report those people - and officials could hopefully take action.
"I think it's something that is worth thinking about.
"I don't believe the people who are doing it are true Rangers supporters. The damage it has done suggests not."
Macmillan rues the fact the club's great efforts to clear up the problem have so far proven only partially successful.
He added: "As President Truman said, 'The buck stops here', and unfortunately Rangers have to take the can for that."
Macmillan also believes the problem can be partially treated ahead of matches within Scotland by stopping fans drinking on coaches, which is forbidden by law.
"My understanding is that there are still some coaches going to the away games with people drinking, and alcohol certainly doesn't help," he said.
"Maybe it's time police were cracking down and having spot checks on coaches.
"Alcohol is no excuse but it's perhaps part of the problem."-Eurosport