'MY MATE'

Rangers legend Nacho Novo urges fans to follow notorious Chelsea Headhunters hooligan Jason Marriner

Rangers icon Nacho Novo urged his fans to follow a well-known footie hooligan - before deleting the post.

The Spaniard, 40, put a post up on Instagram asking his followers to also follow his "mate" Jason Marriner - linked to the notorious Chelsea Headhunters group.

In a now deleted post with a picture of the pair posing together, with his arm around Marriner, he wrote: "Hi please follow my mate @marrinerj8."

The yob was known as 'The General' within the group, and was jailed for six years after the Headhunters were infiltrated by investigative journalist Donal MacIntyre for a 1999 documentary.

Marriner was also banned from all football matches for 10 years as the judge said he "relished violence."

In 2011, the lout was jailed for another two years and given a six-year stadium ban after being convicted of violent disorder at Chelsea clash against Cardiff City.

And it was reported that he took part in a UVF parade in Belfast in 2018.

The Rangers hero's post attracted over 2,000 likes, with fans hailing him a "Legend."

It came just hours before a convicted killer who sparked a mass brawl outside the former striker's Rangers bar was jailed for 12 months.

Crazed pubgoer John Tiffoney assaulted three women, including a member of staff, and a man at the NN10 boozer on Glasgow’s Paisley Road West in April last year.

The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to the assaults and acting in a threatening or abusive manner at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

He repeatedly punched one man on the head and whacked a woman's head off a car door during the rammy outside the Rangers bar.