Rangers concede banned hooligans infiltrated support

RANGERS last night admitted banned hooligans had infiltrated their supporters at Wednesday night’s UEFA Cup match in Spain.

The club’s head of safety and security, Laurence Macintyre, revealed that fans who were banned from Ibrox were present in Pamplona as Rangers bowed out of Europe after a 1-0 defeat.

Rangers blocked such supporters from obtaining tickets through official channels, but Macintyre claims they had made the trip anyway and gained entry to the stadium.

Many supporters accessed Osasuna’s El Sadar stadium with tickets for home sections, and ugly scenes erupted in the second half when police wielding batons were seen to be striking Rangers supporters.

Supporters claimed riot officers charged in for no reason and claim police lashed out with sticks, fists and kicks before, during and after the match at Osasuna’s El Sadar stadium.

The Glasgow club have since officially complained to UEFA about the lack of segregation and heavy-handed policing at the match.

Macintyre was concerned to see some unwelcome faces in the crowd and said: “There are people in that crowd who should not have been there, and they should not have been because I know that I’ve banned them either indefinitely or I’ve banned them for life from attending Rangers games.”

Rangers admit more away fans than were allocated seats for the away section gained entry to the 20,000-capacity stadium.