BBC Scotland’s Chris McLaughlin and his continuing Ibrox ban

Despite their grovelling public apology Ibrox remains out of bounds to the Chief Sports Reporter of BBC Scotland- Chris McLaughlin. 

Back in 2015 when he was only on the football beat McLaughlin upset those in power at Ibrox by reporting on ‘sectarian singing’ and the ejection of away fans from Easter Road. To put a time stamp on it the match covered was the opener in the Warburton Revolution, back when the Ibrox club were trying to poach Scott Allan through their media enablers. 

Soon afterwards BBC Scotland were informed that media facilities for McLaughlin had been withdrawn at Ibrox and Murray Park. Rather than have an outsider decide on staffing issues the state broadcaster decided not to send anyone to those routine media issues. 

BBC Scotland is now more on message than ever with Kenny Macintyre and Steven Thompson fronting radio and television coverage. 

One voice that you won’t hear is that of McLaughlin as David Leggat discusses last week’s apology in his relaunched blog, Leggoland: 

It brought to an end their seven-year boycott of Ibrox. But not the reason for that pathetic boycott. The fact that their chief sports news reporter Chris McLaughlin remains unable to access the media areas of The Stadium. 

Seven years ago, at the instigation of then director John Gilligan and the then director of communications Jim Traynor, BBC Scotland were informed that McLaughin’s press pass had been withdrawn. In an ill judged bout of retaliation, the BBC huffed that they would be boycotting Ibrox. 

Leggat discusses the support that he has from David Edgar and Mark Dingwall and how he has a media pass from Ibrox. 

The Chief Sports Reporter wouldn’t normally be attending pre-match media conferences or match reporting but it is clear that BBC Scotland have stepped down on a matter of principle although employing Tom English, Neil McCann and Alasdair Lamont naturally contradicts any notion of principles. 

Covering the aftermath of the Champions League qualifiers would be in his remit, the prospect of an additional £30m into the club is certainly newsworthy, as would the consequences of missing out on that windfall.

Already the state broadcaster has gone in very lightly in the pre-match violence around Ibrox ahead of a friendly match, in the weeks ahead we’ll see what other compromises beyond McLaughlin have been made.   

Rangers are my team, never hidden that. Be strange to have someone working on Sportsound that didn’t support a team.

As for Kris Boyd. I know at times he is a wind up merchant, but he talks up our game. Would he be in the Sky studio tonight if he wasn’t such a big personality?

— Kenny Macintyre (@kennymacsport) January 31, 2022