Rangers Five remain in limbo after SFA delay hearing into breach of Covid-19 protocols
Monday was supposed to answer some important questions but the SFA have delayed their verdict into the ‘Rangers Five’ affair.
Current Ibrox stars Nathan Patterson, Bongani Zungu and Calvin Bassey, alongside Dapo Mebude and Brian Kinnear who are both out on loan at other clubs, hit the headlines in February when they broke Covid-19 protocols after attending a house party.
They were issued with a notice of complaint by the SFA on March 9 with the hearing date set for March 25, and a verdict was expected to be delivered on Monday.
However according to Record Sport their hearing has now been delayed and rescheduled for Tuesday.
No justification for this continued chaos has been offered as all five players remain in Rangers limbo.
The SFA silence is deafening as they continue to create confusion and chaos in Scottish football.
It also begs the question as to why events have taken so long to unfold.
The Tuesday verdict means it will have been three weeks since the charge was issued and nearly two months since the original offences took place.
The drawn-out process has already meant that any suspensions meted down from the SFA could affect next season.
Rangers have a Scottish Cup clash with Cove Rangers on Sunday before playing their final five Premiership fixtures of the season.
That means if the shamed quintet receive a lengthy ban like George Edmundson and Jordan Jones, the Gers duo who broke protocols in November, then they could miss the start of next season.
Edmundson and Jones were both handed seven-game suspensions by the SFA on November 20 [BBC Sport] for Covid-19 related breaches.
If the same length is dished out this time around Patterson, Zungu and Bassey will miss an Old Firm clash versus Celtic on May 2 and some vital Scottish Cup games, as well as the beginning of next season if we do not advance in that competition.
Of course, there can be no denying that the players did wrong and deserve to feel the weight of the law but this delayed process is nonsensical given this could have a huge impact on next season.
They would have been hoping to sweep this to the side as a mistake and start next season off on a fresh footing.
But their past may well catch up with them next season.
This could all have been avoided had the SFA been more prompt in their handling of the case.
Even in lieu of the delays some explanations would have been helpful, but this is what we have come to expect under their ruling.
In other Rangers news, Jermain Defoe speaks out on Ibrox future.