Glasgow Rangers’ Maurice Edu has alleged that he was racially abused by two of his team’s fans on Tuesday night.
According to the former Toronto FC star, the incident occurred after Rangers’ 4-1 loss to the Romanian side Unirea Urziceni in Champions League play.
He did not play in the match.
“Not sure what hurt more: result or being racially abused by couple of our own fans as I’m getting in my car,” said Edu on his Twitter account.
The 23-year old midfielder played in 38 games with Toronto FC, winning Major League Soccer’s 2007 Rookie of the Year award.
Glasgow Rangers posted a statement on their website addressing the allegations:
“The action of this individual is disgusting and completely unacceptable. Rangers will undertake a investigation to identify the individual in question and take appropriate action.”
In the statement the club also emphasized their commitment to the Show Racism the Red Card campaign, a British anti-prejudice charity.
“The racial abuse suffered by Maurice Edu last night was totally unacceptable,” said Billy Singh, the campaign’s manager. “Would the same fans have reacted in the same way if he had scored the winning goal last night?”
Rangers Supporters Trust, an organization that gives voice to fan concerns, also condemned the reported actions of the individuals involved in the incident.
“If identified, the alleged perpetrators should face lifetime bans from Ibrox [stadium] and the full force of the law.”
Edu moved to Glasgow from Toronto FC in August of 2008 for a $4.5 million transfer fee.