RANGERS fans have been told to “clean up their act” before they enter the Scottish Third Division.
Moray councillor Barry Jarvis is concerned by the prospect of a newco Rangers side visiting Elgin next season.
The lifelong Gers fan believes extra security measures will be needed to police such a fixture.
But Cllr Jarvis also called on the supporters of the new club to start on a clean slate. He said: “It is well-documented that there is an element of the support which take part in sectarian chanting and songs.
“Every football club in Scotland has fans who can bring their club’s reputation down.
“But there is no place for sectarianism in football or society and I hope that side can be eradicated with the formation of the new club.
“We will have to be cautious about that when they visit Elgin. Hopefully, the police and the club can work together to ensure the safety of all the fans at the games.”
Extra policing measures are set to be put in place when Rangers visit the North-east to play Elgin City and Peterhead.
Ally McCoist’s side are scheduled to be in the Blue Toon to open their league campaign on August 11, the first time they’ll have faced each other since Rangers won 5-0 at Ibrox in a Scottish Cup tie six years ago.
Peterhead chairman Rodger Morrison insists the Balmoor club will have to fork out an extra £20,000 to house the large travelling support.
He said: “It will be similar to when we played Celtic in the Scottish Cup in January, if not bigger. “Extra costs are likely to be around £20,000 to accommodate the security measures, segregation and also extra stands behind the goals.”
Peterhead councillor Anne Allan is confident there will be no problems.
She said: “I don’t expect there to be any trouble and I am sure the police will have all the security measures in place.”
A Grampian Police spokeswoman said: “We will shortly be engaging in active discussions with the clubs to ensure an appropriate and proportionate police response is in place for relevant fixtures.”
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