Edu Racially Abused at Ibrox

Maurice Edu, who earned a starting role last season and was a key figure in Rangers' SPL title, alleged that he was racially abused by some Rangers fans following last night's embarrassing Champions League loss to Unirea Urziceni. On his Twitter account, Edu said "Not sure what hurt more: result last nite or being racially abused by couple of r own fans as I'm getting in my car."

The Rangers Supporters Trust spoke out against anyone who might have racially abused the former Toronto FC midfielder, and their spokesman advocated punishment for the guilty parties. Edu has been a fan favorite in Glasgow since his emergence last spring. He has not played since the end of last season, as he is recovering from knee surgery.

Edu will be looking to reestablish himself with both club and country in the coming months, as he once looked like a solid bet for Bob Bradley's 23 man World Cup roster. With only 8 months left, Edu has slid down the pecking order at center midfield, with Ricardo Clark now filling the role of defensive center mid. With Clark's serviceable performance in the Confederations Cup and World Cup qualifying, Edu will have to regain his form to make his case to Bob Bradley for his inclusion in the roster for South Africa.

Needless to say, Edu has plenty to worry about in the coming months; racial abuse from his own fans just adds to that. Hopefully he will be able to overcome any such abuse and return to the level that earned him a starting role for Rangers last season.