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A football fan has lost his job after being filmed making a very disrespectful gesture at a match. The incident happened during Sunday’s Old Firm derby between Celtic and Rangers in Scotland.
The supporter, named Darren Malloch, was seen in a video that quickly spread on social media. In the footage, he held up his phone with the number “66” on the screen and later used his fingers to show the same number.
This was seen as mocking the Ibrox disaster, where 66 Rangers fans sadly died during a match on 2 January 1971.
Malloch, who worked as a project manager for a company called Advance Construction Scotland, was sacked after the video came out.
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The company confirmed the dismissal in a statement:
We can confirm that an individual has been dismissed from our employment, following an incident involving completely unacceptable behaviour at the recent Rangers v Celtic football match. As a company, we expect all employees to behave properly both in and out of work. We believe Police Scotland is also looking into the matter.
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Rangers Football Club also strongly condemned the behaviour. A club spokesperson said:
The Ibrox disaster remains the darkest day in our club’s history and continues to affect many families. The mocking and celebration of any tragedy is abhorrent and has no place in any football stadium or in society.
Police Scotland confirmed they are aware of the incident and are investigating.
Rangers' fans display controversial tifo
The match itself ended in a 1-1 draw, but it was not without drama. Rangers criticised their own fans for a large banner shown before the game, which included an image of their former manager Graeme Souness holding a shotgun, with the message “take aim against the rebel scum.”
A Rangers spokesperson added:
Throwing bottles and displaying offensive tifos is not acceptable. We are working to identify the person responsible and will take strong action. We’ll also review how fan displays are managed going forward to protect our club’s image.
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Many have condemned both disgraceful acts during the match between Celtic and Rangers on Sunday.