Nigel Farage sparked anger among Ipswich Town supporters (Image: Getty)
Nigel Farage sparked outrage on Monday when he posed with the club’s shirt in Ipswich Town’s Portman Road. The Reform MP, who has previously suggested football and politics should be separated, took the opportunity to visit the Tractor Boys’ home base ahead of a political rally to launch the party’s local election campaign.
Farage is said to have booked a stadium tour and later shared a photo of himself in an Ipswich Town shirt. The 61-year-old posted a photobook to X and said: “I’ve never done anything so bad on the right.”
The political leader also posted a video saying: “I wish Ipswich Town Football Club all the best for the rest of the season.” The video contained material in which Farage suggested he was on the shortlist for the Ipswich manager’s job.
“It’s a big end to the season for Ipswich. They’re in contention to get back into the Premier League and I hope that happens. But if they don’t then I think there’s a chance and I’ve spoken to a few people about the managerial job next season and I’m definitely on the shortlist. The problem is there’s only one job I really want.”
One supporter described the image as “absolutely disgusting”, while another pointed out: “In the 70s and 80s we used to advocate living in racial harmony in Ipswich.”
Posting on the TWTD Supporters Forum, another fan said he was “disgusted and embarrassed” that Reform was allowed to use the club’s facilities, while another said it was “a slap in the face to all decent supporters, players, staff and our history as a multicultural club”.
However, some stressed that Farage had booked the tour for commercial purposes, leaving the club in a difficult position. It has been suggested that the Championship side could either accept the booking, which would annoy some supporters, or cancel the booking and the Reform side go to the media complaining about cancel culture.
It is understood that there was no formal invitation from Ipswich City Council to give Reform Party leader Nigel Farage a photo opportunity, and it is understood that the booking was accepted by Portman Road Events, which manages private tours of the stadium. However, the full extent of the plan was not revealed to the club until a social media post appeared on the party’s official account.
Express Sport has contacted the club for comment.
Nigel Farage sparks controversy with his actions at Portman Road (Image: ×)
On Monday, Mr Farage was asked to abandon his walk in Felixstowe. Reform leaders had planned to walk along the beach, but as demonstrators gathered at the scene and chanted chants, a spokesperson said the event was canceled following safety recommendations.
A large number of protesters also attended a reform rally at the Trinity Park Conference and Event Center, which was oversubscribed. An overflow room was needed, and it was said that 300 people could not fit in the main hall.
The demonstration, organized by Ipswich Stand Up to Racism, brought together anti-racism groups, community activists and trade unionists outside, with local residents calling Reformists “extremely unwelcome” and saying they wanted to show that “Ipswich is a multicultural town that rejects Reformers’ anti-immigrant racism”.
Dean Ryan of Ipswich Stand Up to Racism said: “Farage and Reform go beyond racist rhetoric against immigrants and want to make ordinary people pay for their health care and put the final nail in the coffin of the NHS.”
Nigel Farage posts on Ipswich (Image: X/Nigel Farage)
Farage’s pose at Portman Road comes after Reformation also launched its own football shirts. The party has produced Reform UK blue tops featuring the party logo and the Union Jack, and shirts signed by Mr Farage command high prices.
In both cases, onlookers pointed out the irony, as the MP had previously suggested that football and politics should be separated. As of 2021, Farage said he did not want the two areas to be linked.
“Gareth Southgate is out of touch with England fans,” he said. “When players take a knee for Marxist BLM, they have the right to boo. Let’s take politics out of soccer this summer.”
Not surprisingly, Farage was labeled a hypocrite. One commenter said, “Maybe he wanted to exclude politics from sports.”
Another added: “Is this you?” He then cited an earlier social media post by Mr Farage.
“‘There’s no politics in football’ – Nigel Farage (unless I can stay away from politics),” said another.
