Steven Gerrard says Rangers condemn abuse after Steve Clarke accuses fans of sectarianism
Rangers respond following Kilmarnock boss Clarke's complaints of abuse from fans: "Everything possible will continue to be done to eradicate this kind of behaviour"
Thursday 21 February 2019 12:51, UK
Steven Gerrard says Rangers are determined to "stamp out" any sort of unacceptable behaviour after Kilmarnock boss Steve Clarke accused fans of sectarian abuse.
Speaking after Kilmarnock's 5-0 Scottish Cup fifth-round replay defeat against Rangers at Ibrox on Wednesday, Clarke accused some fans of living in the "dark ages" and said he was thankful to sign for Chelsea during his playing career as it allowed his children to grow up in England.
A Rangers statement on Thursday said: "Rangers Football Club wishes to make it clear unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated at Ibrox. Everything possible will continue to be done to eradicate this kind of behaviour."
Gerrard echoed that sentiment in his media conference on Thursday and said he was not made aware of any problems when he met with Clarke in his office after the match.
"I only saw the interview when I got home last night," Gerrard said. "He came into my room after the game, we had a beer together and we talked about football. It was never mentioned.
"The club have made a statement and it is a statement I support.
"We don't support any sort of unacceptable behaviour from the terraces and that is the way it will always be at Rangers.
"We want to try and stamp it out of the game in general."
When asked if Clarke's comments had taken the shine off his players' performance against Kilmarnock, Gerrard added: "Not for me because I am delighted with my players.
"I thought the atmosphere in the stadium was superb, after a disappointing result at the weekend. The next challenge for us is finding that level of consistency."
