FORMER Rangers skipper Barry Ferguson has backed his old club’s ‘strong stance against racism’.
The Light Blues have told fans that if they are unable to support all the club’s players they are ‘not welcome at Ibrox’.
The statement came after defender Connor Goldson was abused online for posting a picture of himself taking the knee in support of Black Lives Matter before the victory over Lyon in France last week.
Striker Alfredo Morelos was also subjected to alleged abuse on social media last Friday.
Managing director Stewart Robertson has vowed that Gers will ‘not tolerate the abuse or hatred that some [players] have had to endure in recent days’.
And Ferguson is adamant the Ibrox club were right to react in such a strong manner.
He said: “I’ve got black friends myself, ex-team-mates, and racism is something I can’t stand.
“That statement from Stewart Robertson, I think, is 100 per cent correct and Rangers are a club that ain’t going to stand for racial abuse.
“It’s something I feel strongly about, and I’m glad Rangers have come out straight away with that statement.
“Let’s not forget it’s a small, small percentage of people who are using racial abuse against the players.
“We’ve got to be mindful of the fact that 99 per cent of the Rangers fans will totally back their players, whether it’s on the pitch or off the pitch.
“It’s only going to be a small percentage [who don’t], which disappoints me, but I’m afraid this is the world we live in just now.”
Meanwhile, Ferguson has backed Morelos to win a big-money move away from Rangers - after the coming campaign.
He added to PLZ Soccer: “I would like to see him stay. He had a fantastic first half to last season but he got that red card at Celtic Park and missed games and was never the same player.
“I would like to think the manager has had a good chat with him and the more experiencesd players have put an arm round him and said, ‘listen, if you go and have another very good season for us you’ll get your move’.
“If he gets scoring goals and gets as fit as he was in the first half of the season, I think then the big bids will start to come back in.
“On his day, he’s a real handful and, for me, he’s a very, very good centre forward.”
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