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| - UEFA are investigating after Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara alleged he was racially abused during his side's Europa League defeat by Slavia Prague. Steven Gerrard's Scottish champions crashed out at the last-16 stage after a 2-0 loss at Ibrox on Thursday, but the match was overshadowed by the incident minutes before the end. Kamara and his team-mates reacted furiously as they claimed Czech defender Ondrej Kudela had cupped his hand and whispered a discriminatory slur into the midfielder's ear. Slavia rejected the racism allegations and accused Kamara of assaulting Kudela in the tunnel after the final whistle. European football's governing body announced it is looking into events at Ibrox. Gerrard has vowed to stand with Kamara and warned UEFA it must not sweep the alleged incident "under the carpet". "Other players around him heard it so I will stand toe to toe with Glen Kamara and I'll deal with this however Glen wants to deal with it," he said. Slavia countered Rangers' claims, insisting Kudela was the victim of an attack from Kamara and accused Gerrard's team of "unprecedentedly malicious play". Rangers forward Kemar Roofe was shown a straight red card for a brutal high challenge on Ondrej Kolar, which left the Slavia goalkeeper with a fractured skull and a horrific gash to his forehead. Defender Leon Balogun was also dismissed after collecting two bookings, reducing Rangers to nine men as they exited the Europa League 3-1 on aggregate. They will face Arsenal in the quarter-finals. Slavia said the club "resolutely denies" the accusations made by Rangers. In a statement, they added: "They have never experienced such play in any game they participated in the modern history of the European competitions. "After the end of the game, the team was not allowed to enter the dressing room. Ondrej Kudela was assaulted by Kamara and hit with fists in the head when Rangers manager Steven Gerrard witnessed the incident." Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson issued a statement of support for Kamara on Friday, saying racial abuse would not be tolerated. "We refuse to acknowledge any attempt to defend, deflect or deny the abuse Glen Kamara experienced last night," he said. "UEFA will be well aware the football world is watching," he added. "We expect a robust and unequivocal response in relation to this incident." Rangers' captain for the night, Connor Goldson, admitted on Friday he had "never been so angry on a football pitch". Goldson angrily confronted Kudela after being informed by Kamara of the incident. "I completely lost my cool and for the remainder of the game," said Goldson. "I just wanted to hurt someone." jw-kca/smg/gj
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