Rangers v Celtic could be postponed again amid AFCON clash
Rangers v Celtic could be postponed again if the Ibrox club request for it to be rescheduled come February, according to the Scottish Sun.
Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun and uncapped defender Calvin Bassey have all been called up to Nigeria’s African Cup of Nations provisional squad.
Should the three make the final squad and Nigeria reach the semi-finals, then the date of that fixture would collide with the Old Firm derby which is scheduled for February 2.
In such a situation, Gers have the right to ask for a postponement as they will be without three players.
This decision, the Scottish Sun claims, “Could spark more SPFL chaos”.
Worth considering
Celtic were among the frontrunners to get the winter break brought forward as they’ve got injuries and were scheduled to play Rangers in January.
A loss in that game would’ve all but put them out of the title race, which is not something they wanted.
They acted in self-interest then, so it’s no surprise if Rangers do it for this game, should Nigeria go on a crazy run in the tournament.
It is plausible that it could happen and that Gers could invoke the option of getting their game postponed.
The Ibrox giants have made the most of his rule even when they were in the lower divisions.
They choose to do it for games against Forfar Athletic and Dunfermline in 2013 and also against Cowdenbeath in 2014 with players such as Bilel Moshni, the late Arnold Peralta, Lee Wallace, Dean Shields and Andy Little unavailable due to their international commitments.
This choice may rub some people the wrong way, but it is not something Gers should concern themselves with.
In other Rangers news, the club want to sign a ‘Fantastic’ England international who is 28, and could get him to sign a pre-contract once the January window opens on 1st.