Rangers have never played Barça at Camp Nou, but on the 24th of May 1972 they played there in the final of the Cup Winners Cup against Dynamo Moscow. A match has will always be remembered for the scenes after the game.
Rangers had taken a 3-0 lead in the game before Dynamo pulled two goals back. At the final whistle there was an enormous pitch invasion from the Scottish fans which began in purely celebratory fashion. The problems began when the Spanish police tried to clear the pitch.
Contrary to many beliefs it was the Guardia Armada, known as “los grises” due to their grey uniforms, and not the Guardia Civil who were on duty at the stadium. Los Grises were feared and hated by many people as they were used by Franco’s regime to break up demonstations and were famous for their heavy handed methods.
The police were not accustomed to dealing with drunken Scottish football fans intent on having a party, and they steamed into the crowd wielding batons. At political demonstrations this tactic was usually sufficient to send people running, but the Rangers fans fought back, throwing bottles and anything they could find. Fans who hadn’t run on the pitch began ripping up seats, causing a total of 4 million pesetas damage in the process.
For the only time in Uefa’s history, a trophy had to be presented in the changing room, and Rangers were given a two-year ban from European competition, a ban that was later reduced to one year.
It was said that after the game the police bundled the Rangers fans on to planes regardless of whether they had flown to Barcelona or not. As a result there were several cars with British number plates stranded around the stadium for weeks.
I am too young (just) to remember these incidents myself and have compiled this article from others I have read and stories I have heard. I would love to hear from anyone, especially any Rangers fans, who remembers the game or of any stories that have been passed down to you.
8 responses so far ↓
Del // Nov 5, 2007 at 17:53
Strange that Barcelona invited Glasgow Rangers back in 1974 for the glamorous Barcelona Tournament alongside Ajax & Athletico Madrid.
Poorly researched article with detail drawn from hearsay and poor journalism. Note you didn’t note the Rangers support burned cathedrals and raped nun’s.
Must do better young man!!!
Frank, Scotland // Nov 5, 2007 at 18:07
Your account of what happened in 1972 sounds about right to me. However it’s not strictly true to say Rangers have never played Barça at Camp Nou. Barça invited Rangers back just two years later for the prestigious pre-season tournament, Trofeo Joan Gamper. Rangers beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0, then lost 4-1 to Barça. We’ll see if that’s an omen for Wednesday’s game!
Nic // Nov 5, 2007 at 20:54
Apologies for not knowing about the Joan Gamper game, thanks for informing me.
Del, please note I say I ” have compiled this article from others I have read and stories I have heard.” So it’s a bit unfair then to accuse me of hearsay and poor journalism. If any of it is wrong please tell us which part and let us know what really happened.
Nick // Nov 6, 2007 at 0:34
nuns Del not nun’s
poorly written reply…could do better young man.
k // Nov 7, 2007 at 3:19
As a Gers fan I reckon your take on this is fair enough. You could perhaps have mentioned that in those days pitch invasions at FT in finals were the norm, and no one usually blinked an eye.
There was obviously some kind of cultural misunderstanding as the facho cops just expected the opposition to disperse as usual, whereas the Gers fans were not of this mind, nor accustomed to that kind of attack, and turned to stand up for themselves. Perhaps it has something to do with the difference in mentality when you live under a dictatorship or a democracy, but best leave that to the sociologists.
I think it’s probable that even today these misunderstandings occur. The wanton violence by police towards pregnant women, old folks and innocent people with children at Osasuna would tend to suggest that there is still some kind of a gap in expectations re police behaviour.
Of course, it works both ways, and Gers fans shouldn’t expect that behaving like pished erses will meet universal acclaim in Spain either.
Del, I reckon there are much much worse distortions than this out there for you to direct your ire at.
Scott // Nov 7, 2007 at 8:46
Franco’s thugs apparently got the fright of their lives as the Rangers fans retaliated to their unprovoked attack.
At the time most Spanish people were delighted that the Rangers support chased the evil coppers as it served as a token of justice for what many a Spaniard had had to deal with for years before.
Franco’s finest were not so fine and dandy that night !
Rangers Forever.
Nick // Nov 7, 2007 at 12:03
They showed last night on the Catalan TV3 News what is apparently the only footage of what happened after the game. When the grises steamed in, the cameras were ordered to pan away. They didn’t want to hurt the international image by showing state thuggery in action.
Nick // Nov 7, 2007 at 16:32
Came across this
“Rangers’ preparations for the final were better than Dynamo’s. The Russians stayed at a hotel in a noisy part of town and became something of a tourist attraction; meanwhile Waddell had his men in a quiet hotel 15 miles from the stadium. The players were discouraged from sunbathing, and food had been brought over from home.
Barcelona itself had seen an invasion of Rangers fans: 110 charter flights, 203 buses and many more travelling independently brought the Rangers support to around 16,000. In contrast, Moscow Dynamo were backed by around 400 fans.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0047/print.shtml
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