The Rangers soccer team has been charged with racism by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) over fans displaying an anti-woke banner during a Europa League match against Turkish team Fenerbahce. Rangers fans held up a banner reading: “Keep woke foreign ideologies out—defend Europe.”
UEFA crashed down on the Scottish team swiftly, describing the banner as “racist and/or discriminatory”—and the team’s leadership swiftly threw their fans under the bus in response.
“Rangers is a modern, progressive football club and we are fiercely proud of our diverse playing squads, workforce and support,” the club insisted in a statement on the charges. “For the club to be charged with such a matter in 2025 is shameful and the disdain for those responsible will be shared by the overwhelming majority of our supporters,” they added.
Rangers warned fans, somewhat self-contradictorily, that “if you do not believe in 2025 that absolutely everyone is welcome to follow Rangers, whether at Ibrox or away, then Rangers is not the club for you and you should disassociate yourself with the club immediately.”