Brilliant Brondby statement sets the record straight for Derek Johnstone over Ibrox ‘VIP’s

On Friday afternoon Derek Johnstone turned to Go Radio to relive his nightmare experience in Brondby which was apparently more terrifying that the 1972 version of the Battle of Barcelona.

Reading almost directly from Billy the Pensioners Euro nightmare script, big DJ explained the night of fear some elderly Ibrox VIPs suffered at the hands of the nasty Danes. For added hilarity Johnstone had spent the afternoon enjoying Danish culture while sipping coffees!

During his interview with Go Radio the Ibrox ambassador called for tough UEFA sanctions for Brondby including a ground closure. Much like the recent Ibrox squealing against Slavia and Sparta Prague, perhaps UEFA can work out a common factor in the claims made since March.

Getting to the heart of the matter, Brondby set the record straight with a brilliantly detailed statement a few hours before DJ spoke to Ibrox media partners Go Radio!

 Yesterday’s match between Brøndby IF and Rangers FC ended 1-1, and both teams therefore got a point and more in the Europa League group game. Unfortunately, before, during and after the match there were battles with especially a group of Rangers fans.

CEO Ole Palmå talks about the security in connection with the match.

– We have had a massive security effort up to this match, as Rangers fans have been trying for a long time to get tickets for the match. Rangers FC were awarded the obligatory five percent of the stadium capacity (1,400 tickets, ed.), And the outdoor section was immediately sold out. In addition to the 1,400 tickets, Rangers fans have not been allowed to get tickets to other sections of Brøndby Stadion, but despite constant communication from our side, we have had to go in and cancel several hundred tickets over the last week, as Rangers- fans got their hands dirty in various ways. We have on several occasions reached out to Rangers FC about this security risk, as Rangers fans are known and infamous for their fans trying to get into episodes they do not have access to, but we have had to conclude,

Before the start of yesterday’s match, more than 500 Rangers fans were turned away at the entrances to Brøndby Stadion with invalid and fake tickets, just as the ticket control and the gates to the away section were tried several times up to the opening of the stadium by Rangers fans, which meant that Copenhagen’s Vestegns Police had to pull the poles several times to ensure that only those with a valid ticket entered.

A large group of Scottish spectators were given access to Rangers FC’s sponsorships as part of UEFA’s requirements for the Europa League group stage. Rangers FC was responsible for the administration and distribution of these VIP tickets. Brøndby IF’s assessment of the group in question was that it consisted of “risk fans”, but when asked directly at the entrance to the sponsorship places, Rangers FC confirmed to Brøndby IF’s head of security, Mickel Lauritzen, that this group were sponsors of the club.

Mickel Lauritzen explains the episode.

– Unfortunately, our immediate risk assessment of this group of Rangers fans turned out to be correct. It was clear that this group was what we call “risk fans,” and shortly after their arrival, this group hung a flag on the sponsor seats, which can be connected to Rangers FC’s risk fans. Then it quickly developed into a car crash with a group of Brøndby fans, where our guards and the police had to intervene and calm the mood. During the match, this group acted threateningly towards spectators and staff, and several times threw beer at surrounding spectators, just as during the break they attacked random spectators on the toilets. Together with the police, we assessed that it entailed too great a risk to remove this group of “risk fans” from the stands, so we chose instead to place more guards in the area where they were sitting.

CEO Ole Palmå talks about a good collaboration with the police, and praises the many stewards who ensured an otherwise good outcome of the match.

– We had a really good and constructive collaboration with the police yesterday, in what was a very unusual and difficult task. We would also like to thank our many hundreds of stewards at the stadium for making very thorough checks of fans, which helped to ensure that only those with tickets came in, despite the fact that several Scottish fans had worn Brøndby IF jerseys and scarves. All in all, there was a fantastic atmosphere in the stands during the match, where Sydsiden to that extent showed Brøndby Stadion by getting the whole stadium with them.

After the 1972 Battle of Barcelona Johnstone and his Ibrox team-mates found themselves banned from UEFA competitions for one season.

CLICK HERE for the Go Radio football show.

He’s an embarrassment to the media profession. He is an apologist, he is a charlatan, he is a Rangers puppet. He is a cheerleader, that is what he is. You are a party political broadcaster, you are an embarrassment.