Legendary commentator Archie Macpherson says he regrets to this day his failure to grasp the racist significance of bananas being thrown at Mark Walters on his debut for Rangers against Celtic on January 2, 1988.
When similar incidents happened against Hearts, he made an impassioned plea against the racists on Sportscene.
Macpherson, 83, said: “I missed the implication of the banana throwing. Yes, I looked down and I saw them lying on the edge of the pitch, but no more than that. It didn’t grab me, it didn’t make any impact on me and I regret it to this day.
“All apparently because Mark Walters was playing as a black man for Rangers, it was quite astonishing.
“I’m not sure how long after the game I reflected on what it meant for Scottish football. It took me by surprise. Celtic has a great tradition of being open to everybody and they were shocked by it.”
He added: “I knew that this would perhaps happen again and I was prepared for it.”
