No To Racism: I Stand With Glen Kamara

Thursday night’s events at Ibrox Stadium stretched beyond the game we love and into one of the more serious issues in our society. Come full time, Slavia Prague’s 2-0 win on the night and the terrific football they displayed over two-legs was the least relevant topic. As stated, the shocking events of Thursday’s Europa League Round of 16 tie delved beyond football and into a pressing social matter. As football fans we take few subjects as seriously as our beautiful game, but when it comes to racism, there are no rivalries. The majority of us come together as one, supporting the fight against racism. Unfortunately, even in 2021, in this ever growing, diverse world, discrimination continues to plague our society. Sad to say, football players across Europe are subject to vile prejudice on social media platforms on a regular basis. Any form of racism is completely unacceptable, and we must stand strong to thin out the minority of uneducated dullards masquerading under false accounts. Sadly, as appalling as racism is, we have grown to expect it occasionally in the stands and on social media, but to hear such remarks from a professional footballer was simply stunning. Ondrej Kúdela shares a changing room with several teammates of a similar race to Rangers’ Glen Kamara (whom he allegedly abused). How can Kúdela look them in the eyes let alone embrace and celebrate with them after this accusation? I say accusation, as of now we have no concrete evidence, but the footage is there for all to see. Kúdela covered his mouth (Why do this? What are you hiding?), aggressively leaned in to Glen Kamara whilst doing so, then walked away, provoking a usually calm and collective Glen Kamara and fellow teammate Bongani Zungu. Captain for the evening Connor Goldson also stepped in to share his outrage at Kúdela, for which he and the Slavia man were booked. Slavia Prague are a club already smeared with racial accusations, by former Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku whilst at Inter Milan, for one. Is anybody other than the deluded Slavia hierarchy falling for the notion that their club are subject to manufactured allegations? Is this merely a coincidence and both Lukaku and Kamara are liars? Slavia Prague even released a statement insisting Kúdela suffered physical abuse post game and that they attempted to contact the local authorities to report this. Police Scotland (recently ridiculed for failing to contain Rangers’ title celebrations) were called to Ibrox, but denied any incident reported. Several messages have since been posted on social media from Slavia supporters, insisting Rangers set out to harm there opponents during the tie. Rangers were guilty of a few rash tackles late in the game, likely a combination of frustration on the night and the sides lack of experience with defeats over the course of the current season. Undoubtedly the most outrageous challenge was Kemar Roofe’s. On the field for fewer than eight minutes, Roofe raised a foot to try and lift the ball over Slavia keeper Ondrej Kolár, but misjudged the situation and caught the Prague number one in the face with his studs. Anyone who’s played the game will tell you the lack of malice in Roofe’s attempt to play the ball, nevertheless, a straight red was more than justified. Roofe may also be lucky to escape further punishment from UEFA given the images of Kolár’s gushing wound which required ten stitches. Although Roofe’s challenge was credited as ‘serious foul play’, what ensued on the former Anderlecht man’s Instagram account was plain and simply an absolute disgrace. What appears to be Slavia supporters, but perhaps a few disgusting social media trolls, took to Roofe’s page to unload a tirade of racist abuse. Gorilla, monkey and banana emojis frequently appeared alongside some derogatory terms. Tackles such as Roofe’s are horrible to see in football, no matter who for or against. To be perfectly honest it may well be the most gruesome challenge I’ve witnessed since Liverpool’s Sadio Mané on Manchester City’s Ederson several years back, but even the most ludicrous of tackles don’t merit such vulgar abuse. Following the final whistle, BT Sport showed Rangers’ manager Steven Gerrard on the field discussing the events with Slavia coach Jindrich Trpišovsky and other Prague officials. When asked to comment on the situation in his press conference Gerrard stated ‘I 100% believe him, what’s he’s saying in terms of the accusation. Other players around it heard it. I will stand toe-to-toe with Glen Kamara.’ Slavia Prague’s statement late Thursday night contested racial allegations, but instead included details of the alleged assault on Kúdela, claiming he was hit with fists in an attack Steven Gerrard witnessed. Kúdela also claims his hidden message which provoked Kamara was ‘You f***ing guy’. Both Rangers and neutral fans have since questioned as to why Kúdela would feel the need to cover his mouth for a message as relatively tame as this. Slavia Prague continue to support their captain Kúdela, the Czech club appear to be deflecting the racist accusation with their own allegation of an assault on the defender. Overwhelming support for Glen Kamara out-with the Rangers demographic is helping to verify the Finnish midfielder’s case and will hopefully force UEFA into taking significant action to prevent future incidents. In 2019 UEFA ordered Slavia Prague to close one of their stands for a match following fan’s racist chants aimed at a rival player during their derby with Sparta Prague. If we’re ever to fully extinguish this behaviour in our game, a far more consequential punishment needs to be allocated. An investigation must be launched into the incident, both by Kúdela and the discrimination towards Roofe and other players on social media. UEFA are always eager to promote a ‘fair game’, but until severe repercussions are taken against a side or individual, revolting racists won’t quit.

Show Racism The Red Card.