Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes the scenes in Glasgow last week will hurt Rangers’ ability to attract sponsorship.
The Lowdown: Some trouble during 55 celebrations
Last weekend was one of celebration for the Gers – their 4-0 win over Aberdeen meant they completed an unbeaten Premiership season (BBC), and the players also finally received the trophy at Ibrox.
Although the celebrations were mainly peaceful, there were some disturbing scenes in George Square as supporters scuffled – 20 people were arrested (firstpost.com).
The Latest: Maguire worried about impact on Gers
Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire has revealed his fear that this could damage the Gers’ ability to attract new sponsorship deals. He explained:
“Rangers want to promote themselves as a much broader brand off the back of winning the Premiership, especially if they get into the group stages of the Champions League.
“Anything which is indicative of intolerance and bigotry is going to scare potential sponsors and commercial partners.
“They’ll ask if they want to be associated with such small-minded views. This ought to have been a fantastic celebration. The social distancing issues were a further concern.
“To hijack what should be a fantastic achievement for them, to use it as a vehicle for some people to put across their poisonous views, it’s counterproductive.
“The people should realise they have an opportunity to be ambassadors for Rangers.”
The Verdict: Better image needed
The coming season promises to be an important one for Rangers. While winning their first trophy in 10 years will increase the number of possibilities for the 55-time Scottish champions to bring in money at the board room level, participation in the group stages of the Champions League will also make them a very attractive proposition. In 2020, the Gers brought in £9.8m in commercial income (cfbfootball.com) – there is room to grow.
The last thing they need is to be associated with images of their supporters causing trouble. In this case, it was a minority, but some fans do need reminding that their own actions can hurt their club. Hopefully, in the future, they heed that message.
In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this article.