Rangers will be furious as brand new UEFA decision emerges at Ibrox
Rangers supporters have rallied around Philippe Clement and his side ever since the Belgian manager arrived at Ibrox earlier this season.
Under his management, the Light Blues have transformed both on and off the pitch, moving above Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, lifting the Viaplay Cup and qualifying for the knockout stages of the Europa League.
That final achievement has arguably been overshadowed by the other exploits of Clement, but the Belgian masterminded an excellent away win over Real Betis to book the Gers’ place in the round of 16.
Spirits remained high when the last-16 draw was made on Friday (23 February) and Rangers were drawn against Portuguese giants Benfica, a tough, but certainly winnable, tie that will have excited the players and fans alike.
However, that excitement will have faded for plenty of supporters only hours after the draw concluded when the Gers reported via their official X account (23 February) that the home leg of the tie had been moved forward to a 17:45 kick-off.
Ibrox will play host to the second leg of the tie on Thursday, 14 March but the kick-off time has been brought forward to fill one of the earlier slots, something that hasn’t happened at all to Rangers in this year’s European campaign.
When will Rangers play Benfica at Ibrox in the Europa League?
While this change won’t do much to impact Clement and his players, it could well prevent a number of supporters from being able to make the trip to Glasgow to watch and support their team at such an early time on a Thursday evening.
Ibrox will be packed, as it is on most European nights, but there will be plenty of supporters who will miss out on seeing their side in a crucial Europa League knockout fixture purely because of the broadcaster and organiser’s decision.
Fans are being treated as consumers rather than supporters in this instance. Hopefully, the Gers will book their place in the quarter-finals to at least give the fans another chance to witness an extra European night at Ibrox this season.
In other Rangers news, Clement has shared an update on Todd Cantwell’s fitness ahead of the Gers’ clash with Hearts
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