Sports producer reveals his first hand accounts of Ibrox racism

A freelance sports producer has shared his sickening experience of racism at Ibrox during Friday’s Scottish Cup tie against Stirling Albion. 

Bobby Nwanze appears to have supported the Ibrox club from a distance and decided to sample Friday’s low key match in a family friendly atmosphere. 

Inside the stadium and a nearby ‘Rangers bar’ he was on the receiving end of racism before returning to his car in tears for the drive home to East Lothian. 

This sort of thing should not be happening in 2022 ?https://t.co/o8juVbiPYG

— Edinburgh Live (@EdinburghLive_) January 23, 2022

Since September 2019 the Scottish media has embraced the box-ticking exercise titled Everyone Anyone. Having the inconsistencies pointed out by someone who has worked for BBC Scotland will require some incredible gymnastics. 

Covering the issue, Nwanze told Edinburgh Live: 

Why I like Rangers is that the team is relatable to me. In the past the squad was not overly diverse but when you look at the team now that has completely changed. The captain Tavernier is black as is Bassey, Balogun, Aribo, Morelos, Sakala, Bacuna and Kamara. So for me I identify with them. 

To be honest, I am often apprehensive about going to live games due to the elements of racism that can occur there. But my friend Abie, John and I decided to go through for the Scottish Cup tie as we thought it would be a nice family friendly atmosphere with it being the fourth round of the cup. 

Around 25 minutes into the game, I’m doing my usual and talking football with fans around me, having a good time. But then I see an older man waving his arms at me, he looks at me and says ‘I can’t understand a word you are saying, are you even speaking English?’ 

I turned to my friends and asked if he had just said what I thought he had. After that I just felt sick and my mood completely dropped. My friends said to try to ignore him but I could not. 

So we left to go to a Rangers bar, I think it was called the Wee Rangers, and when we walked in it was as if everyone had stopped to stare at me walking to the bar – it was weird. We ordered some drinks and just took ourselves to a quiet corner to watch the rest of the game. That is when a middle aged man approached me. 

This gentleman would not leave me alone. He said ‘You are black, what does Fashion Sakala mean?’ My friend asked what he said and when I repeated it they were absolutely astounded. The man proceeded to keep calling me Fashion Sakala even though I asked him to leave me alone to watch the game. 

My friends then tried their best to get them to leave me alone but then the man turned with their group of 20-30 mates and started singing the Fashion Sakala song at me. Now I do not mind banter but my race is not a joke for other people’s amusement. This was being derogative. 

The guy then sat next to me again and started to touch my arms whilst saying, ‘You’re a big boy eh, you’re always big.’ He continued to bother me before I was stern and said to leave me alone. It was then that the man said I shouldn’t be there. 

Before we finished our drinks and left, the guy went over to his friends and started acting aggressive. The worst part about it was that for the ten minutes this went on, everyone in the bar was watching me and not the game. I honestly burst into tears when we got back to the car.