SECTARIAN chanting by Rangers fans at yesterday's SPL opener in Inverness threatens to derail the club's season before it has even started after the introduction of new rules banning the singing of offensive songs in Scotland.
The Ibrox club are facing a possible fine or even being stripped of points after supporters spouted a series of hate-filled songs and slogans throughout the televised game at the Caledonian Stadium.
Fans shouted "F**k the Pope" at the end of a re
ndition of the The Sash and openly used the phrase "Fenian bastards" in another chant as their team strolled to a 3-0 victory. The words are clearly audible on television footage.
SPL delegate Alan Dick will refer to the sectarian singing in his first report to the league on Tuesday, the tone of which will determine what action will be taken against the club.
Under new legislation introduced by the SPL last month to clamp down on the unacceptable behaviour of certain fans, clubs have been warned to expect severe sanctions if their followers step out of line. Depending on the nature of the breach, clubs face a warning, a fine and the possible deduction of points.
If Dick's report hammers the Glasgow side's supporters for singing songs that are offensive on the basis of amounting to religious insults, the matter will be referred to an independent commission chaired by senior lawyers.
It is the latest incident involving Rangers fans singing sectarian songs, which on two previous occasions has seen the club fined more than £20,000 by UEFA for inflammatory chanting. The fines were imposed after encounters with Villarreal in March 2006 and in Pamplona five months ago.
"The club is wholly committed to continuing its effort to eradicate inappropriate behaviour," said a Rangers spokesman. "We will look into the circumstances surrounding today's game."
Yesterday's developments will also come as a huge embarrassment to the Ibrox club, which launched its own anti-bigotry campaign just ten days ago after it was hit with a fine of £13,000 by Uefa and warned about its fans' future conduct after sectarian chanting was heard during a game against Villarreal in the Uefa Cup.
Rangers' assistant manager Ally McCoist said he was terrified the team would also be docked SPL points.
He said: "Everyone at Ibrox is committed to showing Rangers in the best possible light on and off the field and that's why we're launching Follow With Pride," he said. "The club is constantly under the spotlight and our fans, more than anyone else, realise the importance of setting high standards of behaviour. We want to get that message across and show what a fantastic club this is."
The full article contains 456 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
