Rangers support players taking the knee before matches

Fans who aren’t willing to support players taking the knee before games are not welcome at Rangers, the club has said.

The warning from managing director Stewart Robertson comes after players took part in the anti-racism gesture before weekend matches against Lyon and Nice.

The stance, adopted by the Black Lives Matter movement, was met with opposition from some fans, which led to defender Connor Goldson speaking out on social media.

The 27-year-old said on Instagram the “hate and ignorance” in response to a picture he had posted of the players taking a knee was “disgusting”.

Meanwhile, police are investigating after Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos suffered racist abuse on social media.

Mr Robertson said: “Alfredo Morelos was the victim of racist abuse via social media on Friday evening. This hate crime is now subject of a police investigation.

“This is unacceptable, cannot be tolerated and must be condemned by everyone in Scottish football and society as a whole.

“Furthermore, as a club, we stand firmly behind our players who have taken a knee prior to recent games. This is a strong stance against racism.

“We will work tirelessly to protect our players every single day and will not tolerate the abuse or hatred that some have had to endure in recent days.

“To be clear, if you are unable to support our players, regardless of their background, you are not welcome at Ibrox. Rangers is a club for all.”