Beasley Thanks Fans for Support After Car Attack

United States international DaMarcus Beasley has thanked fans for messages of support received after his car was the victim of an arson attack. Beasley who plays for Glasgow Rangers in the Scottish Premier League, parked his BMW car in Queen’s Gardens in the West End of Glasgow, just after 11pm on Monday night. The area’s proximity to the University normally renders it safer territory for footballers seeking to escape the violence and bitterness of the Rangers/Celtic divide, but Strathclyde Police have confirmed the attack was not random.

A spokesman said they were treating it as willful fire-raising and were trying to trace the occupants of a white car seen in the area. They are appealing to the public for information about the incident. Beasley joined Rangers in 2007 and has played in two World Cups for the USA.

On his social networking Twitter page, Beasley thanked well-wishers for their messages of support. He wrote “Thanks again for ALL the messages and kind words,”adding “yeah I’m doing ok and in the market for a new car!”

Police Appeal for Witnesses

Detective Sergeant Sandy Johnston appealed for information from the public. “I would appeal to anyone who was in the area of Queen’s Gardens in Hyndland around 2300 GMT on Monday night. In particular, I would like to trace the occupants of a white hatchback car which was seen in the area as they may have information that will assist this investigation,” he said.

Before joining Rangers, DaMarcus Beasley played for PSV Eindhoven and also spent a season on loan at Manchester City. A Rangers FC spokesman said, “This is a disturbing and deplorable incident and the club will do everything we can to assist the police with their investigations“.

Beasley is not the first US international to suffer from the poisonous atmosphere surrounding the Old Firm Earlier in the season, US International Maurice Edu was racially abused by Rangers Fans, despite being a Rangers player.

Both incidents involving US players continue a long line of assaults verbal and otherwise involving Old Firm fans, most notably the sectarian abuse of Celtic skipper Neil Lennon in 2003 which rose to the level of being condemned by Government Ministers in the House of Commons. Milan goalkeeper Dida was assaulted on the pitch by a Celtic fan who jumped out from the crowd in a Champions League game. Rangers black winger Mark Walters suffered a torrent of bananas being hurled onto the pitch by Celtic fans on his Rangers debut. Countless other incidents too common to document have seen coins and lighters thrown at players, and Rangers have been fined twice by UEFA in recent years for the sectarian singing by their fans, who also managed to stage a full scale riot in Manchester during their UEFA Cup Final appearance in Manchester.

Earlier this season, the EPL dismissed an attempt by the Old Firm to join the English league. The reputation of both club’s fans for sectarian and violent incidents was widely seen as one reason for their rejection by a league which has been very successful in eradicating racism and hooliganism over the last twenty years. As Beasley said on his twitter account, it is lucky no-one was seriously hurt in this incident, but this latest happening is not likely to dissipate the widely held reputation of Old Firm fans that occasionally punctures through both club’s well funded and slick PR machines.

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