Police Investigate Online Racist Abuse Targeting Rangers Players
Rangers players targeted by online racist abuse
- Fernandez and Gassama share racist messages after Livingston draw.
- Police Scotland investigating; Rangers approached for comment.
- Follows a weekend of similar abuse against Premier League players.
Rangers players Emmanuel Fernandez and Djeidi Gassama have reported racist abuse on social media following Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Livingston, prompting an investigation by Police Scotland.
Centre-back Emmanuel Fernandez, eligible to play for Nigeria, and France Under-20 winger Gassama, born in Mauritania, shared screenshots of the offensive Instagram messages aimed at them. A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed: “We are aware of offensive posts online and enquiries are at an early stage.” Rangers have been approached for comment.
The incident comes amid a wider surge of online abuse targeting footballers in the UK. Over the weekend, Premier League players—including Wolverhampton’s Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland’s Romaine Mundle—received racist messages, while Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri and Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana were also targeted.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office condemned the abuse as “abhorrent” and emphasized support for players who report discrimination. Social media companies, the Premier League, and police are working to identify offenders. Anti-racism organization Kick It Out described the weekend as “appalling” but noted such abuse occurs regularly.
A BBC investigation in November revealed over 2,000 highly abusive posts—including death and rape threats—were sent about Premier League and Women’s Super League players and managers in just one weekend, highlighting the persistent challenge of online racism in football.
