Alfredo Morelos 'racially abused' during derby against Celtic, claim Glasgow Rangers

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 29: Alfredo Morelos of Rangers celebrates his teams first goal scored by Ryan Kent during the Ladbrokes Premiership match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park on December 29, 2019 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)Show less

Scottish football club Glasgow Rangers have said striker Alfredo Morelos was racially abused during the 'Old Firm' derby against rivals Celtic on Sunday.

Rangers got their first win at Celtic Park since 2010, closing the gap on the leaders to two points with a game in hand. Colombian striker Morelos was sent off in stoppage time after receiving a second booking for a dive in the box.

Morelos appeared to make a gesture with his hand across his neck to Celtic fans following his dismissal.

"We believe Alfredo was racially abused and we would expect now that all measures will be taken to identify and deal with those responsible," a Rangers spokesman told Sky Sports.

Celtic said in a statement that they had not received any reports that the 23-year-old was racially abused.

"We are aware of the gestures made by the player towards Celtic supporters," Celtic said. "We have received no reports of any racial abuse but would fully investigate any should these be brought to our attention."

The alleged incident could be the latest in a string of racist abuse cases to take place in football around the world. In the past two months alone, Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger was racially abused by Tottenham Hotspur fans during a Premier League game earlier this month, while Bresica and Italy striker Mario Balotelli called Verona fans "imbeciles" after a section of the crowd racially abused him during a Serie A game in November.

Indeed, Italian football has also experienced racism off the pitch, with a prominent sports daily running the headline "Black Friday" - in English - while using pictures of former Manchester United teammates Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku squaring off ahead of the Roma v Inter Milan match.

That came before Serie A launched a new 'No to Racism' campaign featuring posters of three different types of monkeys with face paint - a campaign which was heavily criticised by clubs, players and anti-racism groups.