Rangers to get kicked outta Europe?

[Mac 10 †]

Here is the video in question in all it's glory:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/lXhw0busTR8&amp;autoplay=0" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/lXhw0busTR8&amp;autoplay=0</a>


A SHOCKING three-minute video of fans singing a sectarian song in Spain could get the club banned from Europe.

The damning clip titled Simply The Best was shot by a Rangers supporter at the end of the 1-0 defeat by Osasuna and posted on You Tube.

Last night, supporters' leader Jim Templeton condemned the singing and said whoever posted the video "had scored a massive own goal".

And SFA boss David Taylor, who takes over atUEFAin two weeks, said all evidence would be studied before a disciplinary probe on Thursday.

European football bosses have already warned the Ibrox club they could face the "ultimate sanction" over trouble which broke out in the crowd during Wednesday's game.

Now UEFA officials are to study the film, which was shot inside the stadium away from TV cameras after the players had left the field.

The Spaniards played Tina Turner's Simply The Best - an anthem for Gers fans - over the tannoy.

Supporters are heard chanting "F*** the Pope" to the music and punching the air.

Jim Templeton, president of the Rangers Supporters Assembly, said last night: "Whichever fan posted this has scored a massive own goal for the club and the fans.

"While condemning those who were singing, the person who put this on You Tube should also be taking a good look at themselves in the mirror.

"It is almost certain UEFA will be forced to take action and possibly ban the club from Europe. We can only fear the worst."

He added that he believed the Spanish club played the song to "wind up" the visiting support.

Rangers were fined £13,000 by UEFA for sectarian singing and warned about future behaviour after last season's Champions League game in Villarreal.

UEFA's disciplinary committee, who have already banned Dutch club Feyenoord from Europe, will decide Rangers' fate on Thursday.

David Taylor, who becomes UEFA's general secretary in two weeks, said last night all evidence would be studied but it was too early to talk about sanctions.

He added: "UEFA will look at any source over sectarianism or racism and investigate. That sort of thing isn't welcome in Scottish football or European football and that message has to get through loud and clear."

Simply The Best became a club anthem during Rangers' nine-in-a-row championship run in the 1990s. It was banned briefly at Ibrox after many fans made up their own sectarian lyrics. Ugly scenes erupted during the second half of the Osasuna match when police wielding batons were seen to strike spectators in the Rangers end.

Fans insisted police charged in for no reason but Rangers have admitted banned thugs who should not have been allowed to travel infiltrated their supporters.

Last night, hundreds of fans expressed their disgust at the clip on the YouTube message board. One said: "As a Rangers fan, I find this deplorable and agree the police did not hit them hard enough."

The Rangers Supporters Assembly will hold a crisis meeting with Ibrox chiefs to protest at their treatment in Spain.

Spokesman Templeton said: "Sectarian chanting and singing is unacceptable and the club should take all necessary action.

"However I thought it strange that the Spanish club should play this song and I believe it was an attempt to wind up the fans."

Rangers said: "We will meet supporters' representatives next week to discuss matters arising out of the game against Osasuna.

"We remain committed to improving standards and levels of behaviour of our supporters."

[Boo-Yaa †]

LMAO!!! I read this in the paper on sunday!

We all know sectarian signing happens at many grounds but for him to post this is just so stupid!!

I hope the monkeys get banned 

[Sweet & Tender Hooligan]

LMAO!!! I read this in the paper on sunday!

We all know sectarian signing happens at many grounds but for him to post this is just so stupid!!

I hope the monkeys get banned 

He left his name, and a picture of himself. Run and hide boy, the huns are goha lynch you!

[Boo-Yaa †]

Scum the lot of them!!!!

[TheDeli]

Stupid to post this on you tube

Don't agree with the FTP part as no need to sing this at a football game and it is indefensible, the IRA part personally I don't see a problem as I know people who have suffered at the hands of them

Amazing though how the Scottish media were looking through You Tube for this but never showed any other clips of various clubs around the world with regards to idiotic singing or chants, and I don't just mean Celtic fans with their IRA chants or mentions in songs

What I find strange though is why did Osasuna play Simply The Best after the match when just Rangers fans in the ground and why was the volume of the song turned down at the chorus?  I have been on countless away matches in Europe and have never had the pleasure of the home team playing a song for the fans still in the ground after the final whistle

[Boo-Yaa †]

^ They played the song as a wind up!

[TheDeli]

^ They played the song as a wind up!

Seems to be me that the song was played to provoke fans and or wind them up into singing these lyrics and unfortunately some fans fell for it and sang it with gusto

No doubt the problems that fans had seen before and during the game together with the no doubt large amounts of alcohol consumed and hearing this song helped some fans with singing away

[bez]

I dont really get the fuss.  It seems like you cant say anything at a football ground without someone fucking moaning about it these day.

The fans are clearly singing along to the Simply the best tune by rhyming something thats actually quite funny.  I dont know about you, but if I wanna scream FUCK THE POPE in a football match, I will. 

A football ground used to be a place where young men could go and scream things like this.  It gets it out of many males systems.  Seems senseless to me really.

Fuck the Pope and the I.R.A!

Yeah so?? 

[Boo-Yaa †]

I dont really get the fuss.  It seems like you cant say anything at a football ground without someone fucking moaning about it these day.

The fans are clearly singing along to the Simply the best tune by rhyming something thats actually quite funny.  I dont know about you, but if I wanna scream FUCK THE POPE in a football match, I will. 

A football ground used to be a place where young men could go and scream things like this.  It gets it out of many males systems.  Seems senseless to me really.

Fuck the Pope and the I.R.A!

Yeah so?? 

Becos a line needs to be drawn somewhere!

Shouting "fuck the pope" clearly will offend people of that religion!!

So would it be OK for me to shout racial hatred at a football ground?  Chanting fuck blacks/asians whatever... Just to get it out of my system, as you put it ??

I think not!!!!

So whats the difference from offending someones religion / race?

Your post is ridiculous!!!

[bez]

Yeah, but the rhyming of Fuck ya Pope and ya I.R.A is funny.  It goes with the song.  Its something I would sing along with if it was sung at a football match, why not.

Yeah, but not everyone believes in the pope etc etc.  So fuck it.  We obviously have different opinions on the matter.  If I dont like something I think I have the right to say, fuck it.

[On The Edge of Insanity]

I kind of agreed with Bez on this, its a different issue to race, I don't think anyone would condone racist chanting.

People have a choice whether or not they believe in a certain religion and furthermore, I don't really see the issue here, especially as they were the only ones left in the ground, it wasn't like they were inciting violence by chanting the song. To ban them from European competition would be a ludicrous punishment for what is, in my opinion, a very minor offence.

[bez]

Thats my point exactly. 

I dont condone racist chanting etc but this was just a way for the Rangers fans to show their disgust at the Osasuna ppl for playing the song. 

FUCK THE POPE AND THE I.R.A...

...I got no beef with that.

If other ppl have, thats their problem.  If you dont want things like this to happen then Osasuna shouldnt of played a song that rubbed Rangers defeat in their faces.

[Mac 10 †]

It's no different from chanting.

FUCK ALL NIGGERS AND THE I.R.A.

It's wrong and shouldn't be condoned.

[bez]

Well there is a difference because they would be chanting...

...fuck niggers and the i.r.a.

Big difference.

[On The Edge of Insanity]

Oh come on, it is completly different to that and you know it. People have no choice over what race they are and therefore discriminating against people because of it is universally accepted to be wrong.

Religion, on the other hand, is someone that people choose to believe in or not and therefore there is always going to be people who disagree with these beliefs and they have a right to say so. Granted this isn't exactly the best way of getting that across, but if they want to say "Fuck the Pope" in an empty stadium then why shouldn't they? If this was during an Old Firm game where it would obviously cause an incredible amount of friction between the two sets of fans and the consequences would be unimaginable, but to be banned from European competition for this would be laughable.