Reform Party leader Nigel Farage faces intense backlash after posing in an Ipswich Town shirt at Portman Road Stadium ahead of a political rally, despite previously saying politics should be kept away from football.
Nigel Farage’s visit to Portman Road was not well received by many (Image: X)
Nigel Farage sparked outrage on Monday when he posed clutching his club shirt on Ipswich Town’s Portman Road. The controversial Reform MP, who has previously insisted that football and politics should be separated, seized the opportunity to visit the Tractor Boys’ ground ahead of a political rally to kick off his party’s local election campaign.
Farage appears to have booked a stadium tour and later shared a photo of himself wearing an Ipswich Town shirt. Publishing a series of images to X, the 61-year-old quipped: “I’ve never done anything that bad to the right wing.”
The political leader also shared a video and said: “I wish Ipswich Town Football Club all the best for the rest of the season.” The footage showed Farage hinting that he was one of Ipswich’s manager candidates.
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He said: “It’s a big end to the season for Ipswich. They’re in contention to get back into the Premier League and I hope they do. But if they don’t then I think they have a chance and I’ve spoken to a few people about the manager’s job next season and I’m definitely on the shortlist. The problem is there’s only one job I really want.”
One fan slammed the photo, calling it “absolutely disgusting”, while another stressed: “In the 70s and 80s we were advocating for racial harmony in Ipswich.” Another supporter wrote on the TWTD fan forum and said he was “disgusted and embarrassed” that Reform had been allowed to use the club’s grounds, while another described it as “a slap in the face to all decent supporters, players, staff and our history as a multicultural club”, the Express reported.
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However, some pointed out that the club was in a difficult position because Farage had booked him for commercial purposes. It had been suggested that Championship teams could either accept the booking and upset some fans, or risk media attention by canceling the booking and reforming to complain about cancel culture.
It is understood that there was no formal invitation from Ipswich City Council to the Reform Party leader for a photo opportunity, with private stadium tour company Portman Road Events accepting the booking. However, although Mirror Football contacted the club for comment, full details of its intentions were not disclosed to the club until the social media post was published on the party’s official accounts.
On Monday, Mr Farage was also forced to abandon his walk in Felixstowe. Reform leaders were scheduled to walk along the beach, but protesters attended and chanted chants, and a spokesperson confirmed the event had been canceled following safety recommendations.
Nigel Farage tours Portman Road (Image: X/Nigel Farage)
A reform rally at the Trinity Park Conference and Event Center also drew many protesters, and the event was oversubscribed. Approximately 300 people could not fit into the main hall, necessitating additional rooms.
The protest, organized by Ipswich Stand Up to Racism, saw anti-racism groups, community activists and trade unionists gather outside to say that local residents said Reform was “totally unwelcome” and wanted to show that “Ipswich is a multicultural city that rejects Reform’s anti-immigrant racism”.
Dean Ryan, from Ipswich Stand Up to Racism, said: “Farage and Reform go beyond racist rhetoric against immigrants and want to make ordinary people pay for their healthcare and put the final nail in the coffin of the NHS.”
Many Ipswich fans were unhappy with Farage’s visit (Image: Getty)
Farage’s appearance at Portman Road comes after Reformation launched its own line of football shirts. The party has produced Reform UK blue tops featuring the party logo and the Union Jack, and shirts signed by Mr Farage are selling for high prices.
In both cases, spectators highlighted the irony after the MP had previously suggested that football and politics should be separated. Speaking in 2021, Mr Farage expressed a desire to prevent the two areas from being linked.
“Gareth Southgate is out of touch with England fans,” he declared. “When players take a knee for Marxist BLM, they have the right to boo. Let’s take politics out of soccer this summer.”
As expected, Farage was branded a hypocrite. One commenter said, “Maybe he wanted to exclude politics from sports.” Another commented: “Is this you?” He then referred to previous social media posts by Mr Farage. “‘There’s no place for politics in football’ – Nigel Farage (unless I can stay away from politics),” said another.
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