Rangers’ Europa League rivals Red Star Belgrade insist they will KEEP Gazprom as kit sponsors ahead of last 16 clash
UEFA insist they won't order Red Star Belgrade to dump their main sponsor, Russian energy giants Gazprom, ahead of their Europa League match with Rangers.
And the club's general manager has insisted they will keep their main backers after lashing out at 'anti-Russian hysteria.'
UEFA dumped their lucrative sponsorship from Gazprom and the multinational energy corporation have been ostracised following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Red Star Belgrade are one of three clubs sponsored by Gazprom, along with Zenit St Petersburg and Schalke and the Germans immediately dumped them as a sponsor.
But the Serbians will display their name across their shirts in the first leg at Ibrox next week and the seats at their Marakana Stadium are branded by the name of the company, who have financially backed them for 12 years.
And UEFA have no intention of moving to demand a change of sponsorship.
They stated: "It is a matter for individual clubs."
However, Red Star general manager Zvezdan Terzic pointed out that they owe their continued survival to Gazprom and blasted UEFA's and FIFA's decision to boot Russian clubs out of football.
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He said: "We have not received a request to remove the Gazprom logo and I sincerely hope that will not happen. Gazprom has been with Red Star since 2010 and was with us when we were threatened with the worst financial problems.
"When we were in a difficult situation in 2015, they paid us money a year and a half in advance. If it weren't for Gazprom, the question is whether there would be a Red Star.
"People who love Red Star will never forget what Gazprom did for the club. It is a relationship that is a friendship and not just business.
"We do not approve of what FIFA and UEFA have done to Russian clubs. There is no basis in international law.
"We are outraged because we went through all that in 1992, but at least them they went through procedures because the United Nations imposed sanctions on Yugoslavia, so it was transferred to UEFA and other organisations. Now it has all been rushed through in two days.
"There is anti-Russian hysteria across Europe now. UEFA were under enormous pressure from its members, as they were again under pressure from their governments. Politics interfered beyond any reason in sports.
"Nobody approves of the war and of course I have sympathy for the Ukrainian people and the terrible civilian casualties. I hope negotiations end the war.
"But the Russian people are close to the Serbian people and always will be. Russia supported Serbia when it was difficult for us. Russia, as a superpower, stood up for Serbia."
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