Rangers fan who claims he was sacked for devotion to the club in £80,000 fight over job loss

Eddie McClung told the employment tribunal that supporting the Ibrox side is a “philosophical belief” that merits workplace protection.

A dad-of-two claiming he was sacked for being a Rangers fan told how supporting the Ibrox side was his “religion” as he seeks £80,000 in a discrimination battle.

Eddie McClung described his lifelong devotion to the Light Blues at a Wednesday employment tribunal hearing in Glasgow.

The 51-year-old alleges he was stopped from a subcontractor role at a Grangemouth energy site due to his allegiance to the club.

Now a judge must decide whether supporting Rangers constitutes a “philosophical belief” meriting similar protection against workplace discrimination to religion or gender.

Standing for himself for the landmark case, Eddie told the hearing: “I live my life by being a Rangers fan.

“I do not go to church. I go to Rangers. It is a belief to me.”

But lawyers for his ex-bosses told Judge Lucy Wiseman that “support for a football club is not a belief system.”

Eddie outside the Glasgow Tribunal Centre

Eddie, from Bonnybridge near Falkirk, launched the action against energy construction firm Doosan Babcock, recruitment firm National Rugby League, and his former boss Donald Ross.

He claims he was let go after managers said there was not enough work for him, but he was targeted for supporting Rangers.

Eddie said a toilet at the site, where many Celtic and Hibs fans worked, was defaced with graffiti mocking the 1971 Ibrox Disaster where sixty-six people lost their lives.

If he successfully persuades the judge that being a Rangers fan is a “philosophical belief,” the claim will go-ahead to a full tribunal hearing in what is believed to be the first case of its kind in the UK.

During the hearing, Eddie described his dad taking him to an Old Firm game when he was eight and the “amazing” experience making him a “Rangers fan for life.”

He said: “Going to games has left me with memories I will never forget.

“If people say their religion is protected, how often do they go to church? I would argue it is as important to me as someone who has a religion.”

Eddie claims graffiti relating to Ibrox Disaster was scrawled at his former workplace.

Eddie told how the loss of his job in May 2019 led to his marriage breaking down, while the covid lockdown left him struggling to make ends meet and forced to sell his home.

He said: “Rangers keep me going. It gets you out of a mundane life where you are sitting at home and depressed.

“You wake up on a match day, and you are buzzing. Then you get to the game, and there is the energy with the whole stadium bouncing and 50,000 people singing.

“It lifts you to levels you cannot get to in everyday life. It is like being part of something bigger than a football club.

“I’ll go to games until the day I die. It is a life commitment.”

Eddie said financial struggles left him to attend only twelve games in the past year, and he was devastated to be unable to afford the trip to Seville for the Rangers’ appearance in last month’s Europa League final.

He added: “Discrimination happens at work because you are a Rangers fan. Supporters need protection against that happening.”

Eddie described how his support for Rangers "inspires" and "motivates" him.

Lindsey Miller, acting for Doosan Babcock, said Eddie was “clearly a devoted fan” but added: “I struggle to identify a “belief” in his argument.”

Ms Miller said: “Rangers is a thing. You do not have to ‘believe’ in it. Mr McClung is a highly active supporter of Rangers rather than having a “belief” in it because it exists.

“There is no requirement to hold a particular belief to support Rangers. It does not require anything expressly to be a Rangers fan.

“I contend that being a Rangers fan is not a philosophical belief.”

Lesley Finlayson, acting for Donald Ross, said: “Support for Rangers is not an actual belief. There must be belief in a philosophy or doctrine. Support for a football club is not a belief system.”

Other examples of philosophical beliefs in the workplace include pacifism, humanism, and atheism.

Judge Wiseman told the hearing at the Glasgow Tribunal Centre she would consider the submissions and set out her judgement later.