Rangers have described racial abuse directed at Djeidi Gassama and Emmanuel Fernandez as ‘simply unacceptable’.
The duo were both involved in the Premiership draw against Livingston on Sunday, which saw Danny Rohl’s side come from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Fernandez scoring one of the goals.
In a club statement on Monday, Rangers revealed Gassama and Fernandez had both received racial abuse on their Instagram accounts after the match, adding that the content has been reported to Instagram’s parent company Meta and will be reported to the police.
A statement on the Rangers website said: ‘Following yesterday’s game, Djeidi Gassama and Emmanuel Fernandez were subjected to racist abuse on their Instagram accounts. For any player, opening a phone and seeing abuse tied to the colour of their skin is simply unacceptable.
‘The content has been reported to Meta and will be reported to Police Scotland.
Djeidi Gassama is subbed off by Rangers manager Danny Rohl during Sunday’s draw at Livi
Fernandez scored Rangers’ first goal in their 2-2 draw with bottom club Livingston
‘The accounts appear to be anonymous and are not connected to the club in any way. That may make action harder to take, but it does not lessen the seriousness of what happened or the responsibility of the platform involved.
‘Our immediate priority is the wellbeing of the players involved. We are in direct contact with Djeidi and Manny and have offered our full support both now and through any future judicial process.
‘We are proud that they stood up for themselves by highlighting this vile abuse last night.
‘Manny and Djeidi represent Rangers with commitment and pride. Every time they step onto the pitch, they do so on behalf of this club and our fans.
‘Many supporters have already reached out with messages of support. We welcome that backing. It reflects what this club stands for: pride in the shirt, respect for those who wear it, and a commitment to stand together.’
