Goal hero Beasley demands UEFA act over racist taunts

13 April 2012

Furious DaMarcus Beasley hit out at FK Zeta racists after he fired a second-leg winner for Rangers against the champions of Montenegro.

And he demanded UEFA take action against the morons with Walter Smith's side possibly heading for Belgrade in the next round, the scene of similar abuse suffered by Beasley on a previous visit to face Red Star.

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Winning goal: Beasley

Beasley and Ibrox team-mate Jean-Claude Darcheville were subjected to monkey-noise chanting on several occasions by a vocal minority in the national stadium in Podgorica.

Now Rangers could be heading back to the Balkans - a notorious hotbed of racism - to face Red Star in front of 55,000 fans in Belgrade, where the level of abuse led Beasley and PSV Eindhoven to lodge an official complaint with UEFA in 2004.

On a controversial night, the UEFA match delegate from Belgium, Jean-Marie Philips, was well aware of the racist abuse - as well as other incidents which saw a bottle thrown and a lighter hurled at Rangers substitute Charlie Adam.

"I have had this before with chants and monkey noises when I was at PSV Eindhoven and we went to Red Star," said United States star Beasley, after his 83rd-minute winner.

'Let's try to kick it out of the game'

"It is terrible that this is still in football. Some people cannot just enjoy a game and watch the action. You can cheer, boo or whistle, but to make monkey noises just sickens me.

"Football must get the racist thing out of the sport and I'm sure UEFA and FIFA are working on it.

"Three years ago, I went to Red Star with PSV and the club actually filed a complaint. I spoke out about it and so did Guus Hiddink but, after the initial fuss, nothing much came of it.

"It is out of our hands but I'll speak to anyone at Rangers or UEFA about it. I have my own opinion but, during the game, I try not to think about it. It is killing football and there's no need for it in the sport.

"It does not make the goal that much sweeter but it did silence the stadium. I scored and they were still doing it, but it was nice to win against Zeta. We felt one goal would be enough.

"I always want to score if people are kicking me or shouting stuff like that. I have not spoken to Jean-Claude Darcheville about it yet but we may talk.

"UEFA have to do something and I'm sure their delegate here will have been aware of what was happening. Rangers could be going to Red Star and I have experienced it first-hand there before. Let's try to kick it out of the game."

Philips confirmed to Rangers that he intends to mention all the incidents in his report. He seemed happy enough with an away support on their best behaviour after the weekend sectarian rumpus at Inverness.

Red Star take a 1-0 lead to Estonia today to face Levadia Tallinn, with the aggregate winners battling it out with Rangers for a £10million Champions League group stage jackpot.

Rangers will play the first leg at Ibrox next Tuesday, August 14.

As the SPL launch their inquiry into events at Inverness, the away support last night stuck to the approved song list - with Rangers, of course, having been fined £20,000 for two separate recent incidents while in continental action.

But there was no mistaking the abuse directed at Darcheville and Beasley and now it remains to be seen if UEFA will turn a blind eye or, for the first time in their history, probe a club in the Champions League qualifying.

Serbia - Montenegro's sister nation until their parting of the ways a year ago - appeared to be in huge trouble earlier this summer following their meeting with England in the semi-final of the European Under-21 Championships in Holland.

The Serbian FA was subsequently fined and England players have also been subjected to racial abuse in Spain and Croatia.

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