---
title: "Rangers: Kieran Maguire makes “poisonous” claim"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/rangers-gers-ibrox-steven-gerrard-kieran-maguire-champions-league-commercial-income/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "jonathan radcliffe"
section: "Features"
published: "2021-05-23T11:10:38Z"
modified: "2021-05-23T11:10:38Z"
---

# Rangers: Kieran Maguire makes “poisonous” claim

**Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes the scenes in Glasgow last week will hurt Rangers’ ability to attract sponsorship.**

### **The Lowdown: Some trouble during 55 celebrations**

Last weekend was one of celebration for the Gers – their 4-0 win over Aberdeen meant they completed an unbeaten Premiership season ([BBC](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/scottish-premiership/table)), and the players also finally received the trophy at Ibrox.

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Although the celebrations were mainly peaceful, there were some disturbing scenes in George Square as supporters scuffled – 20 people were arrested ([firstpost.com](https://www.firstpost.com/sports/police-officers-injured-20-arrests-made-as-rangers-fans-title-celebration-turns-violent-9625421.html)).

### **The Latest: Maguire worried about impact on Gers**

[Speaking to Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/rangers-maguire-poisonous-fans-scaring-off-sponsors-at-ibrox/), Maguire has revealed his fear that this could damage the Gers’ ability to attract new sponsorship deals. He explained:

> *“Rangers want to promote themselves as a much broader brand off the back of winning the Premiership, especially if they get into the group stages of the Champions League.*
>
> *“Anything which is indicative of intolerance and bigotry is going to scare potential sponsors and commercial partners.*
>
> *“They’ll ask if they want to be associated with such small-minded views. This* *ought to have been a fantastic celebration. The social distancing issues were a further concern.*
>
> *“To hijack what should be a fantastic achievement for them, t**o use it as a vehicle for some people to put across their poisonous views, it’s counterproductive.*
>
> *“The people should realise they have an opportunity to be ambassadors for Rangers.”*

### **The Verdict: Better image needed**

The coming season promises to be an important one for Rangers. While winning their first trophy in 10 years will increase the number of possibilities for the 55-time Scottish champions to bring in money at the board room level, participation in the group stages of the Champions League will also make them a very attractive proposition. In 2020, the Gers brought in £9.8m in commercial income ([cfbfootball.com](https://cfbfootball.com/2021/05/04/kieran-maguire-celtic-and-rangers-finances-assessed/)) – there is room to grow.

\[freshpress-poll id=”358375″\]

The last thing they need is to be associated with images of their supporters causing trouble. In this case, it was a minority, but some fans do need reminding that their own actions can hurt their club. Hopefully, in the future, they heed that message.

***In other news, [Rangers fans were livid at this article.](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/rangers-fc-news/rangers-gers-ibrox-steven-gerrard-the-times-police-scotland/)***