El Hadji Diouf: I was sent letter bomb while at Rangers

Police Scotland insist they have 'no knowledge' of a letter bomb sent to the flat of former Rangers attacker El Hadji Diouf when the player lived in Glasgow.

The controversial player was at Ibrox for five months in 2011. Picture: Ian Rutherford

The Senegalese international, who spent the second half of the 2010/11 season at Ibrox, made the claims to a newspaper in his home country.

Prior to signing on loan for Walter Smith’s side, Diouf was already a source of scorn among Celtic fans after he spat at a group of supporters during a UEFA Cup tie whilst playing for Liverpool.

As a result his signing was a source of controversy and increased tensions between both halves of the Old Firm. It would boil over during a Scottish Cup fifth round replay, where Diouf was sent off at Celtic Park.

Speaking to a Senegal newspaper as he looks to establish a career in politics, Diouf claimed the threats weren’t just limited to verbal ones heard on the field of play.

“I had a flat in Glasgow that I was only using for games, but I got sent a bomb in the post,” he said.

“After that, all the letters that were posted to my home were searched and the police had to have a meeting with me and my family.

“As a precaution, I left my wife and children in Manchester and travelled four hours each day to training.

“Apart from that I loved Glasgow. It was the pinnacle of footballing cities.

“Every city I played in was good. Liverpool was extraordinary, Leeds was great, Lens was wonderful, but the best atmosphere I ever played in was in Glasgow.

“When I left Glasgow, half of the city wanted to cut my head off!”

The Scottish police force have said there are no reports of the incident and have “no knowledge” of Diouf’s claims that his letters were searched from that point forward.

THE SCOTSMAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA

• Keep up to date with all our sport news on The Scotsman’s Sport page on Facebook

• Follow @ScotsmanSport for the latest sports news and comment