Rangers fans furious over Sinn Féin MP's visit to Ibrox to raise cash for charity

Sunday World

22-04-2025

The West Belfast MP was singled out for vicious abuse on social media after he visited Rangers' Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow and was pictured standing next to former star player Gordon Durie on the famous marble staircase.
The cyclists at the statue at Ibrox
West Belfast MP Paul Maskey at a Palestine protest on the Falls Road this week
Sinn Fein MP Paul Maskey became a hate figure for some Rangers fans this week after crossing the sectarian divide to raise money for charity, the Sunday World has learned.
The West Belfast MP was singled out for vicious abuse on social media after he visited Rangers' Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow and was pictured standing next to former star player Gordon Durie on the famous marble staircase.
He had gone to Glasgow as part of a charity cycle event which visited both Ibrox and the home of their arch-rivals, Celtic Park, to pay tribute to players from both clubs who had suffered or died from Motor Neurone Disease.
But some Rangers fans were outraged that their club had welcomed a prominent member of Sinn Féin.
One post claimed Sinn Féin had supported an IRA attack in Ligoneil in which three young Scottish Royal Highland Fusiliers lost their life five decades ago. Paul Maskey was five years old at the time of the triple murder.
West Belfast MP Paul Maskey at a Palestine protest on the Falls Road this week
One outraged fan posted: 'FFS Rangers' while another stated: 'This is too far.' Another posted: 'Maskey should have been chased from Ibrox, a SF scumbag.'
Facebook lit up with a flood of hostile remarks being aimed at Mr Maskey as well as the Rangers Football Club.
Many of the insults are too abusive to print.
But the 57-year-old West Belfast MP shrugged off the abuse and said the attention only led to more donations coming in for the charity effort, which has raised more than £30,000.
Mr Maskey wrote: 'An unforgettable journey completed – cycling from Belfast to Parkhead & Ibrox in memory of Anto Finnegan, raising £25,000 (and counting) for DeterMND.'
He added: 'Thank you to everyone who rode, supported and donated. Your kindness means the world. All for a truly great cause.'
The West Belfast MP also posted a picture of Rangers' 'welcome' mat inside the stadium's front door.
Former Rangers star Gordon Durie – when told later he had been snapped smiling alongside a Sinn Féin politician – replied: 'I didn't know who it was. I just thought it was someone from the charity.'
But speaking to the Sunday World, Paul Maskey MP, said he preferred to focus on the money raised for a good cause.
It had been staged to raise funds for DeterMND, a charity set up in honour of Anto Finnegan, a Gaelic footballer from west Belfast who had captained Antrim. The cyclists met the Finnegan family at Celtic Park.
Anto was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND)in August 2012 and he passed away in 2021.
The cyclists at the statue at Ibrox
Leaving Belfast last Friday morning, the cycle group arrived for a pre-arranged visit to Ibrox, where they were welcomed by larger-than-life Rangers' fan and well-known charity fundraiser, Andy Smyllie.
Millionaire businessman Mr Smyllie looked on as the visitors laid a wreath in memory of Rangers star Fernando Ricksen, who succumbed to MND six years ago.
And while at Ibrox, the cyclists were presented with a cheque for £3,000 for the charity.
The Belfast group then continued on their journey across the city to Celtic Park in the Parkhead district, where they met relatives of Anto Brennan and the family of Celtic legend Jimmy Johnstone, who also died of MND two decades ago.