Rangers returned to the Czech Republic six months on from their last Europa League visit to be greeted by the strange sight of a stadium full of children.
Sparta Prague hosted Steven Gerrard‘s side on the back of a stadium ban, with Uefa instructing the match to be held behind closed doors as punishment for racist chanting in their recent Champions League qualifier against Monaco.
That ban, imposed after midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni was subjected to monkey chants after scoring in the first half, has since been relaxed to allow Sparta to give away 10,000 free admission tickets to local schools.
“Due to the punishment for the racist behaviour of some of our fans during the home match with Monaco, no adult fans are allowed in the stadium,” the club’s statement said.
“But there is an exception for organised children’s groups and we want to use it – we invite children to the Europa League for free. The invitation is valid for organised groups of children from 6 to 14 years of age who arrive at the stadium accompanied by an adult.
“At the same time, however, the rule applies that one adult must have a minimum of ten children and a maximum of 19. Admission is completely free for children and their companions.”
When Rangers played Sparta’s city rivals Slavia last season, the tie was overshadowed by an incident which led to Ondrej Kudela being banned for 10 matches for racially abusing Glen Kamara.
Gerrard said Kamara is in a “good place” ahead of returning to the country. Shortly after making his report to the referee, the midfielder had issued a statement through his lawyer demanding Uefa got tougher on clubs whose fans, players or staff were found guilty of racism.
“There is no place for racism or any form of bigotry in football,” Kamara said. “Since [the] summer many of us have taken the knee in solidarity with those who have lost their lives to racial violence.
“If Uefa genuinely wants to ‘show racism the red card’, then it’s time to stop the tokenism and take a zero-tolerance approach.”
The loophole allowing some fans to attend will likely be seen by many as another indictment of the governing body’s hollow promises.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3AXhnrJ
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