Rachel Evans
In 1989, Rangers signed Mo Johnston, their first major openly Catholic signing. Prior to Johnston's signing, Rangers had an unofficial policy of not signing Catholic players or employing Catholics in other roles. Several players of the Catholic faith featured for the club prior to Johnston, including Laurie Blyth, Don Kitchenbrand, and Hugh O'Neill. Following the signing of Johnston, the general secretary of the Rangers Supporters Association, David Miller, stated, It is a sad day for Rangers. Why sign him above all others? There will be a lot of people handing in their season tickets. I don't want to see a Roman Catholic at Ibrox. It really sticks in my throat. Since Johnston's signing, Catholic players have become commonplace at Rangers, with the club lifting a ban on players making the sign of the cross in 1998.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date Rangers first signed a Catholic | 10 July 1989 |
| First Catholic signed | Maurice "Mo" Johnston |
| First Catholic captain | Lorenzo Amoruso |
| First Catholic player | Willie Kivlichan (1905) or Laurie Blyth (1951) |
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What You'll Learn
Rangers' signing of Maurice Mo Johnston in 1989
On 10 July 1989, Rangers Football Club signed Maurice 'Mo' Johnston, a former Celtic player and openly Catholic. This marked the first time in the club's history that a high-profile Catholic player had been signed, bringing an end to Rangers' long-standing boycott of Catholic players.
The signing of Johnston was a highly controversial and significant moment in Scottish football history, causing shockwaves throughout the country. It was a move that had personal, political, and religious implications, with Rangers' supporters and the media reacting with a mix of emotions, including tears and anger.
Prior to Johnston's arrival, Rangers had a reputation for refusing to sign players of the Catholic faith. However, there were a few Catholic players who played for the club before 1989, such as Don Kitchenbrand, Laurie Blyth, and John Spencer. These players, however, were not as prominent or openly Catholic as Johnston, and some, like Kitchenbrand, kept their Catholicism a secret.
The decision to sign Johnston was made by Graeme Souness, the Rangers manager at the time. Souness had declared his intention to build a team based solely on merit, regardless of religion or skin colour. He was aware of the potential backlash from fans and directors, but he believed that Johnston's talent and goal-scoring abilities would ultimately win over the majority of supporters.
The transfer of Johnston to Rangers was shrouded in secrecy and caught many by surprise. Just two months before joining Rangers, Johnston had been paraded in front of the media as a returning hero to his boyhood club, Celtic. The move to Rangers was negotiated by his agent, Bill McMurdo, and included a massive £1.5 million transfer fee and unique personal demands, such as living in Graeme Souness's mansion in Edinburgh.
The signing of Maurice Mo Johnston by Rangers in 1989 was a pivotal moment in Scottish football, challenging religious barriers and signalling a shift towards a more merit-based approach to team selection. It sparked intense discussions about football, society, and the role of religion in sports.
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Players who starred for the club prior to Johnston
It is a common misconception that Rangers Football Club refused to sign players of the Catholic faith. In fact, several players starred for the club prior to the signing of Maurice "Mo" Johnston in 1989.
Laurie Blyth, who played for Rangers in 1951, was one such example. Blyth's Catholic faith was eventually discovered, and he left the club as a result. Don Kitchenbrand, a South African player who joined the club in 1955, also kept his Catholicism a secret during his time at Rangers.
Another player, John Spencer, joined the club as a promising youth player in 1982 and quietly progressed through the ranks while dealing with hostility from both sides of the Glasgow religious divide. Spencer was openly Catholic, and his signing predated Johnston's by just four years.
Other players who were reportedly Catholic and played for Rangers prior to Johnston's arrival include Hugh O'Neil in 1976 and Neil McCann in 1998. In addition, Italian Catholics Gennaro Gattuso and Lorenzo Amoruso played for Rangers in the 1997-98 season, with the latter becoming the first Catholic captain of the club in 1998.
The signing of Mo Johnston, however, was particularly significant as he was the first major Roman Catholic signing and the highest-profile Catholic to join the club since World War I. His transfer was controversial, and he faced significant pressure as the first player to break the unwritten rule against signing openly Catholic players.
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Rangers' unofficial policy of not signing Catholic players
Rangers F.C. is one of Glasgow's two main football clubs, the other being Celtic F.C. Glasgow has a long history of sectarian rivalry between Catholics and Protestants, which is particularly visible in the rivalry between supporters of the two football clubs. During the late 19th century, many immigrants came to Glasgow from Ireland, of whom around 75% were Catholic and around 25% were Protestant. The foundation of Celtic, a club with a distinct Irish Catholic identity, was crucial in the subsequent adoption by Rangers of a Protestant, Unionist identity. From around the 1920s onwards, Rangers had an unofficial policy of not signing Catholic players or employing Catholics in other roles.
Despite this assertion, some Catholic players did play for Rangers during this time. South African Don Kitchenbrand kept his Catholicism secret, and Laurie Blyth left the club after his Catholic faith was discovered. Some former Rangers players also stated that the policy extended to non-Catholic players who married Catholics. In 1980, for example, Graham Fyfe said that he had to leave Rangers because he had married a Catholic woman.
In 1986, Graeme Souness became Rangers manager and declared his intent to build a team based solely on merit, saying that signing players of another religion or a different skin colour "felt completely normal". In 1989, Rangers signed Mo Johnston, a former Celtic player and openly Catholic. Johnston was the highest-profile Catholic to sign for the club since World War I, although several players of the faith featured before that point. This was Rangers' first signing of an openly Catholic player since the unofficial policy was introduced. Following the signing, the general secretary of the Rangers Supporters Association, David Miller, stated:
> "It is a sad day for Rangers. Why sign him above all others? There will be a lot of people handing in their season tickets. I don't want to see a Roman Catholic at Ibrox. It really sticks in my throat."
After the signing of Mo Johnston, Rangers continued to face accusations of sectarianism. In 1997, Italian Catholic Gennaro Gattuso alleged that his teammates ordered him to take off his crucifix necklace. In 1998, Rangers lifted a ban on players making the sign of the cross, although they warned them not to do it in front of supporters. In 1999, Lorenzo Amoruso became the first Catholic captain of the club. In 2002, defender Fernando Ricksen said that Rangers' Catholic players had to hide their religion because of sectarianism at the club. In 2003, Rangers launched its 'Pride Over Prejudice' campaign to promote social inclusion, urging fans to wear only traditional Rangers colours and avoid offensive songs, banners, and salutes.
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The club's first Catholic captain, Lorenzo Amoruso
In 1998, Italian defender Lorenzo Amoruso became the first Catholic captain of Rangers, a Protestant club. He joined Rangers in 1997 for a fee of £4 million, leaving Fiorentina, where he was club captain.
Amoruso was installed as captain by Dick Advocaat, and he led the club for two years. During his six-year spell with the Glasgow side, he won nine major honours, including domestic trebles in the 1998-99 and 2002-03 seasons. He represented Rangers more than 150 times in competitive football.
Amoruso was a talented player, but his time as captain was not without difficulty. He was booed by Rangers fans after several poor performances and tactical errors, and he clashed with Advocaat multiple times. In the 2000-01 season, he was stripped of the captaincy and later accused Advocaat of trying to destroy him. However, he eventually regained his form under new manager Alex McLeish, winning the 2002 Scottish PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
Amoruso left Rangers in July 2003, joining Blackburn Rovers for £1.4 million. He later became a sports commentator and worked as a scout for Fiorentina. Reflecting on his time at Rangers, Amoruso said he felt grateful for the support of the fans, adding: "I loved playing in Scotland and England because of the fans' passion. It's unbelievable."
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Graeme Souness' intent to build a team based on merit
Rangers F.C. has long been accused of refusing to sign players of the Catholic faith. However, this is a myth, as the club did sign Catholic players before the arrival of Maurice Johnston in 1989. These include Laurie Blyth in 1951, Don Kitchenbrand in 1955, Hugh O'Neil in 1976, and John Spencer in 1985.
Despite this, it is true that Graeme Souness, who became the Rangers manager in May 1986, was intent on building a team based on merit rather than religious affiliation. Before signing Johnston, Souness had already approached other Catholic players, including John Collins, Ian Rush, and Ray Houghton, demonstrating his willingness to sign players based on their footballing ability rather than their religion.
In the summer of 1989, Souness made headlines by signing Mo Johnston, an openly Catholic and former Celtic player. This was a significant move as it was the first time Rangers had signed an openly Catholic player since the introduction of the policy. Souness' decision to sign Johnston was not without controversy, as some Rangers supporters and officials were opposed to the idea of signing a Catholic player. However, Souness was committed to building a team based on merit, and he saw Johnston as a fantastic player who would help Rangers dominate on the pitch.
Following the signing of Johnston, there was a lot of pressure on him, and he even had a minder with him at all times, though he didn't feel it was necessary. The respect he had for Souness as a person and a manager, and their prior friendly relationship, likely contributed to the success of this decision. This signing marked a turning point for Rangers, dispelling the myth that they refused to sign Catholic players and demonstrating Souness' commitment to building a team based on merit.
After Johnston's signing, it wasn't until 1998 that Rangers made another major Scottish Catholic signing, Neil McCann. In the same year, Lorenzo Amoruso became the first Catholic captain of Rangers, and Bob Brannan became the first Catholic club director. These appointments further reinforced the idea that Rangers were moving towards a merit-based system, where an individual's religion or skin colour was no longer a barrier to their involvement with the club.
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Frequently asked questions
Rangers signed their first openly Catholic player, Mo Johnston, in 1989.
Yes, there were. Laurie Blyth (1951-1952), Don Kitchenbrand (1955-1956), Hugh O'Neill (1976), and John Spencer (1985-1992) are some examples.
Johnston was a former Celtic player and an openly Catholic player. He was the highest-profile Catholic to sign for the club since World War I, and his transfer drew widespread attention due to his religion and previous affiliation with Celtic.
From around the 1920s onwards, Rangers had an unofficial policy of not signing Catholic players or employing Catholics in other roles. This policy was relaxed in 1986 when Graeme Souness became manager and declared his intent to build a team based on merit rather than religion.
In 2003, Rangers launched the 'Pride Over Prejudice' campaign to promote social inclusion and urged fans to avoid offensive songs, banners, and salutes. They also published the 'Blue Guide', a list of acceptable songs, which was issued to 50,000 supporters in 2007.
