BUT THEY'RE OUT OF TROUBLE; UEFA let Gers off hook with pounds 18k fine as Bain slams mindless morons.Byline: Gary Ralston MARTIN BAIN Martin Bain is the chief executive of Scottish Premier League football club Rangers. He was appointed chief executive by Sir David Murray in February 2005, having been at Rangers since 1996. last night vented his anger at the "moronic mo·ron n. 1. A stupid person; a dolt. 2. Psychology A person of mild mental retardation having a mental age of from 7 to 12 years and generally having communication and social skills enabling some degree of academic or " and "mindless" element of Rangers' support as the club escaped with an pounds 18,000 fine from UEFA UEFA Union of European Football Associations UEFA n abbr (= Union of European Football Associations) → U.E.F.A. . The Ibrox chief executive turned on the violent minority among his travelling fanbase and told them to stay away for good. Privately, Rangers were breathing a sigh of relief as they escaped more serious punishment following ugly scenes of crowd disorder during half time of the Champions League match with Unirea Urziceni last week. They know they are testing the patience of UEFA's control and disciplinary body and boss Walter Smith Walter Smith OBE (born February 24 1948 in Lanark) is a Scottish former football player, but is better known as a football manager. He is currently the manager of Scottish Premier League club Rangers, his second spell in that capacity with the club. had even voiced fears about an Ibrox shutdown shut·down n. A cessation of operations or activity, as at a factory. shutdown Noun the closing of a factory, shop, or other business Verb shut down in the aftermath of the violence that could have cost his cash-strapped club up to pounds 2.5million. Rangers will not appeal and have also been ordered to pay costs for the damage caused to the Ghencea Stadium in Bucharest when their fans ripped up seats to throw at stewards, angry their fellow supporters were being sprayed with CS gas. Unirea were also fined pounds 7000 as UEFA ruled they were guilty of a lack of organisation before and during the match while around 2500 visiting fans complained bitterly about conditions and facilities at the ground. Bain said: "It is extremely disappointing for Rangers and the overwhelming majority of our supporters to see the club receive a fine of pounds 18,000 from UEFA and suffer the consequences of the actions of those who took part in the disorder in Bucharest . "The moronic conduct of these individuals was wholly unacceptable and flies in the face of what we stand for as a football club. Mindless "It's particularly frustrating frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: in view of the fact many people at this club work hard to ensure those travelling to support the team abroad are safe. "Our official supporters' groups have also tried to encourage sporting behaviour by all fans. However, their efforts are undermined by people who call themselves Rangers fans but have only their own mindless interests at heart. "We do not want these people at our matches. "We appreciate the fact the UEFA match delegate said in his report that, apart from this incident, the behaviour of the majority of Rangers supporters in Bucharest was satisfactory. "The club made strong representations to UEFA regarding the unsatisfactory crowd management prior to the game and UEFAhas addressed this. "But this in no way excuses the violent behaviour of some fans." Rangers still plan to take tickets for the forthcoming Champions League match in Seville but will be on guard after recent run-ins between their supporters and Spanish police. Rangers were fined pounds 9000 by UEFAafter a bottle was thrown at the Villarreal team bus in March 2006 and 12 months later copped a pounds 8280 fine after clashes with cops during a game at Osasuna. Rangers'' fate was discussed by seven members of UEFA's control and disciplinary body in Nyon yesterday afternoon with Austrian Dr Thomas Partl in the chair. No Ibrox representative was allowed to address the committee. But they were sent an extensive dossier outlining the club's case including a report by Superintendent Mike Dean of Strathclyde Police Strathclyde Police is the police force for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire. who was helping co-ordinate security at the ground. Bain also called on UEFA to do more for the decent majority of fans, with many supporters among the Rangers travelling party describing the Steaua Bucharest stadium as unfit unfit not properly prepared, e.g. physically incapable of performing hard work as in racing, because of lack of training. Said also of food prepared unhygienically. unfit for human consumption to host European football. Effort Bain said: "At Ibrox we put great effort into ensuring a safe environment for spectators and have been complimented by various football authorities and visiting clubs. "It is not unreasonable to expect adequate safety arrangements are in place when we travel abroad. "Regrettably this was not the case in Romania. "Many of our fans who travel regularly with the club and were not involved in the disorder last week described conditions and their treatment at the stadium as the worst they have experienced in Europe. This led to a hostile and tense environment. "The club will consider the implications of the judgment from UEFAand discuss issues arising from it with our supporters' representatives." CAPTION(S): SCATHING: Martin Bain |
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