Rangers could be sanctioned for playing 'God Save the King' before their match against Napoli
Rangers could be sanctioned for playing 'God Save the King' before their Champions League clash against Napoli.
UEFA had rejected requests from Chelsea, Manchester City and Rangers to play the national anthem before Wednesday's fixtures.
But the Scottish club defied instructions from the governing body as home fans sang the anthem before their Group A match against Napoli at Ibrox.
Supporters paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II ahead of their game with a huge Union Jack tifo and the silhouette of the Queen covering the Broomloan Stand.
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The players took part in a minute's silence in tribute to the Queen, with 'God Save the King' then playing.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was honoured at Ibrox this evening with a minute’s silence, a display created by the Union Bears, and a rendition of the National Anthem. pic.twitter.com/20NHhxghMp
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) September 14, 2022
However, the club's decision to play the anthem before their 3-0 defeat could land them in hot water.
UEFA is waiting to see the official report from its match officials before deciding whether to investigate Rangers' decision to play the anthem.
It's claimed that UEFA will consider taking action once they have received the necessary information.
TalkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, though, was full of praise for Rangers for their defiance of the ban from UEFA on playing the anthem.
"We spoke about it and I was in the camp of suggesting it wasn’t appropriate for UEFA to intervene," he said.
"I understand the backstory that if you open the door for one you open the door for all and there’s an element of UEFA incorrectly suggesting they should stand down their thing and they’ve already done that.
"So, it wasn’t a partisan view of ‘our anthem’ gets played and you don’t get to celebrate something exceptional."
Nasir Jabbar