Ipswich fans' fury at divisive right-winger

Third in the Championship and pushing for a return to Premier League glory, Ipswich Town fans haven’t had too much to grumble about this season – until pictures emerged apparently showing the club signing a divisive right-winger not known for fostering harmony among his teammates.

Fans of the Blues were furious when Nigel Farage took to social media to post a series of pictures of himself at their Portman Road ground, hoisting aloft a shirt with his name and the number 10 on the back, sat in the dressing room surrounded by said shirts and apparently inking a contract in the room the club holds press conferences.

The Reform leader posted “I’ve never been too bad on the right wing” together with signing and football emojis.

The post went down with Ipswich fans like a loss to bitter rivals Norwich, with comments on message boards ranging from “The club needs to distance themselves from this sorry episode as rapidly and as forcefully as possible” and “It’s a really ugly look for the club which claims to be ‘inclusive’” to “I’m struggling to think when I have been more embarrassed to be an Ipswich Town fan” and “He’s a racist grifter and makes me feel sick to see him anywhere near Portman Road or holding a town shirt with his name on it”.

The club have since attempted to distance themselves from Farage’s stunt, insisting that a private tour of Portman Road is available to anyone via the club website, it was booked by a representative of Reform and no official invite was issued by the club or anyone connected to it. They have also let it be known that they were initially unaware of who was taking part and that the shirts bearing Farage’s name were purchased prior to the tour rather than being a gift of the club.

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Some fans are not buying it, though, questioning if any Tom, Dick or Harry could purchase at least six identical shirts bearing the same name without eyebrows being raised – let alone a name as widely recognised, if largely for the wrong reasons, as Farage. Other fans wonder if any other visitor would also be allowed to take down the shirts bearing actual Town players’ names from within the dressing room and replace them with their own for the sake of a picture.

Farage, meanwhile, is not only not an Ipswich fan but not really a football supporter anyway. Although he tells people he follows Crystal Palace, he has never been seen at Selhurst Park, and as a Dulwich College boy much prefers rugger.

In fact, one of the few times he has ever spoken about the national game was in 2021 when he added his name to the litany of right wingers whingeing about England players taking the knee against racism during that summer’s Euros.

“Gareth Southgate is out of touch with England fans,” he said of the universally beloved ex-manager. “They have a right to boo when players take the knee for Marxist BLM. Let’s keep politics out of football this summer.”

Quite – or, as Ipswich Town fans may prefer to put it the next time Farage raises his head: “Take your shirts and fuck off home!”.