Finland's international players are showing their support for Glen Kamara by wearing "I stand with Glen' T-shirts after the Rangers player allegedly suffered vile racist abuse.
In the aftermath of Rangers' Europa League tie with Slavia Prague, manager Steven Gerrard backed Finnish midfielder Kamara with the words: "I stand with him".
Now Kamara's international teammates have latched on to that phrase to also demonstrate their support for the 25-year-old and what he endured last week.
All of Finland's players, including captain Tim Sparv and Norwich striker Teemu Pukki, wore a T-shirt with Kamara's image plus the message as they completed training and media commitments ahead of their World Cup qualifiers.
Kamara, who has 27 caps for Finland, has shared a horrific account of what occurred last week at Ibrox when Odrej Kedel allegedly whispered: "You're a f**king monkey, you know you are" into his ear.
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The Slavia Prague player claims he said: "You're a f**king guy" - while covering his mouth so his words couldn't be seen by TV cameras.
Gerrard refused to believe that version of events and Pukki was similarly dismissive, pointing to the outraged reaction of Kamara on the pitch at the time.
"Racism of any kind does not belong to football, sports or anywhere," said Pukki, according to Finnish outlet Helsingin Sanomat. "It's a pity that that's still happening.
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"I have got to know Glen in recent years and that kind of reaction is not what you would get unless something really has been said. It is really wrong for that to happen. I hope something is really done about it."
"There was a lot of news about the case in England, and there was also talk about it among our team. It's clear that this does not belong anywhere."
Kamara has had widespread support from the football community, with Celtic captain Scott Brown also showing his solidarity with the Finn.
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In reaction to the incident, Kamara said in a statement: "Since summer many of us have taken the knee in solidarity with those who have lost their lives to racial violence.
"If UEFA genuinely wants to 'show racism the red card', then it's time to stop the tokenism and take a zero-tolerance approach.
"As a player I do not expect myself, nor any other to have to tolerate racial hatred on or off the pitch in 2021.
"The vile racist abuse by Ondrej Kedel took place on the international stage and any failure to act by UEFA will be viewed as a green light for racism."
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Rangers
