Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called on football to “make sure your house is in order” following allegations that Rangers players attended a house party which was broken up by police.
After it emerged some players had been accused of breaching Scotland’s strict lockdown restrictions, Rangers on Sunday issued a statement on Twitter saying they were aware of an alleged incident and had launched an internal investigation.
Asked on Monday at the Scottish Government’s daily briefing about the alleged incident, Sturgeon said: “Sometimes I feel that it’s taking me all my power not to stand here and use expletives whenever I get asked about football again.
“I’ve not been given all of the details of the Rangers incident yet – no doubt that will happen when the details are clearer. I know the club has said they are investigating.
“But let me be clear. Whenever football rears its head in this situation, I get emails from people suggesting that I’m somehow partial, in favour of or against one team or the other. That’s not true. I don’t care what club it is that’s breaching the rules – if you’re breaching the rules, you’re in the wrong, and it’s really frustrating.
“It’s really unfair to the vast majority of people in the country who don’t have the privileges that elite sportspeople have right now. When they see elite sportspeople breach these rules – and, let’s also be frank, the vast majority are not, but when a small number do – then people think ‘why am I bothering?’
“So can I say to football and sport generally – please, make sure your house is in order. Because it shouldn’t take me standing here to say to highly-paid footballers that you’ve got to obey the rules. It really shouldn’t take that. But the fact that it does is hugely frustrating to me.
“And I don’t care whether it is Celtic, Rangers or any other club – it’s not on. So please stop breaking the rules.”
Rangers are aware of an alleged incident which is subject to an internal investigation. We will make no further comment. pic.twitter.com/XVRhHWzWpJ — Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) February 14, 2021
Rangers’ statement on Sunday read: “Rangers are aware of an alleged incident which is subject to an internal investigation. We will make no further comment.”
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We received a report of a gathering at a property in Hayburn Lane, Glasgow, around 1.10am on Sunday, 14 February. Officers attended and those in attendance left. Ten people were issued with fixed penalty notices for breaching coronavirus regulations.”
It is not clear how many Rangers players were at the party or whether any were among those issued with fines.
Scotland remains under strict lockdown restrictions to help curb the spread of Covid-19, with no indoor mixing of households allowed under normal circumstances.
The Rangers investigation comes two months after Jordan Jones and George Edmundson were handed two-week club suspensions for breaching Covid protocols by attending an illegal house party.
Northern Ireland winger Jones and defender Edmundson were subsequently handed seven-match bans by the Scottish Football Association.
