GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) – Scottish soccer club Rangers on Friday condemned an arson attack on a statue of their former coach. walter smith Speaking outside Ibrox Stadium, he called the incident “disgraceful”.
A statue of Smith, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 73, was unveiled last year. He led the team to 10 of their 55 Scottish League titles during his two spells, and also coached the Scottish national team.
Police Scotland said it was investigating fire damage to the statue, which was reported in the early hours of Friday.
Rangers said in a statement: “We strongly condemn this disgraceful act.”
Smith started at Rangers in 1986 as Graeme Souness’s assistant and was handed the top job five years later when Souness moved to Liverpool. He won seven consecutive league titles before leaving, then joined Everton and was an assistant to his good friend Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
Smith coached Scotland for two years before returning to Rangers in 2007 for a further four seasons. He briefly served as club president in the aftermath of the 2013 financial crisis.
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