Amid ongoing criticism of Cyriel Dessers, Leon Balogun has retaliated against Rangers fans for their language at Ibrox.
Since his arrival, the 30-year-old striker, who is being strongly linked to leaving this window, has been harassed by the supporters due to his lack of skill on the pitch rather than his attitude.
The media joins the Ibrox supporters in denouncing the forward, who may soon be leaving Scotland after scoring 22 goals in his debut season.
“We’ve had it here in the past when a player comes on and gets booed or a player comes off and gets clapped off in a sarcastic way,” Balogun stated in an interview with the Counter Attack podcast [20 January].
“Since it’s the same player you want to score or defend more effectively, I don’t support that at all. You can give them harsh criticism, but be careful with your words. It is quite disrespectful.
Some fans would argue that their performance was disrespectful, but given the amount of work they put in, you can’t dismiss that as disrespectful because he gave it his all. It’s your only option.
“You can criticise his [Dessers’] quality, but it’s all about how you live your life, and I don’t allow myself to do certain things, so that’s bad.” He is a wonderful man. He’s got some major balls on him, in my opinion, based only on the manner he handled his circumstances.
Does Rangers give Cyriel Dessers greater respect?
It’s definitely a difficult one. Given the club’s current state and the fact that they have to spend their hard-earned money on tickets and travel, fans most definitely deserve to have their opinions heard.
Nonetheless, a lot of fans still fail to remember that football players are also people who work to entertain the crowd and support their families outside of the game.
Dessers continues to miss a lot of big chances, thus a lot of the criticism directed at him has been understandable. However, some people maybe take it too far in front of supporters who are more susceptible.
Similar circumstances exist at several stadiums across the nation. At Ibrox, nothing will change, but Balogun is perfectly entitled to express his worries.
There is reason for anxiety and safety at this time because the players probably have their own families and kids among the audience, and many stars have been criticised by the fans this season.
