Rangers FC has paid tribute to one of their fans who died in Lisbon. Thomas McAllister attended an away game in Lisbon for a UEFA Europa League last-16 clash with Benfica on Thursday night (March 7), however the circumstances surrounding his death are still unknown.
In a statement, the club said: “It is with profound sadness Rangers FC has been made aware supporter Thomas McAllister has passed away in Lisbon following last night’s UEFA Europa League tie with Benfica. The immediate thoughts of everyone at the club are with Thomas’ family and friends, and we will remain in constant contact with both the Portuguese and British authorities over this tragic incident.”
Rangers CEO James Bisgrove commented: “On behalf of the club, I want to pass on my sincere condolences to Thomas’ loved ones, family and his friends. This news has hit everyone at the club extremely hard, as I am sure it will all of our supporters. Nobody should ever go to a football match and not return home. The club stands ready to assist Thomas’ family in whichever way we can in the coming days and weeks.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Rangers FC employed Ilechukwu after its former Coach, Abdul Maikaba, walked away after the expiration of his contract at the end of the season.
Orji promised that the Supporters Club will give Ilechukwu all the necessary support he needs to take the club back to the continent and win laurels.
Orji said, “I feel excited and I think this is one of the events I witnessed from Rangers that I am excited about and I believe that Rangers FC will achieve something positive this season.
“We have been solidly behind the coaches the same way we support players both on and off the field of play.
“Ilechukwu’s case will not be different as we are going to support him, believing that he will not have any problem with the club management and players.
“We will always be with him and ensure that all he needs to be happy in Enugu would be given to him to succeed in his new role.
“Rangers FC have been a nice haven for coaches and Coach Abdul Maikaba even confirmed it,” he said.
Orji believes that in a few months time, Rangers FC will be playing their matches in Enugu following the recent move by the state government to renovate the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
Rangers FC has paid tribute to one of their fans who died in Lisbon. Thomas McAllister attended an away game in Lisbon for a UEFA Europa League last-16 clash with Benfica on Thursday night (March 7), however the circumstances surrounding his death are still unknown.
In a statement, the club said: “It is with profound sadness Rangers FC has been made aware supporter Thomas McAllister has passed away in Lisbon following last night’s UEFA Europa League tie with Benfica. The immediate thoughts of everyone at the club are with Thomas’ family and friends, and we will remain in constant contact with both the Portu
Orji promised that the Supporters Club will give Ilechukwu all the necessary support he needs to take the club back to the continent and win laurels.
Orji said, “I feel excited and I think this is one of the events I witnessed from Rangers that I am excited about and I believe that Rangers FC will achieve something positive this season.
“We have been solidly behind the coaches the same way we support players both on and off the field of play.
“Ilechukwu’s case will not be different as we are going to support him, believing that he will not have any problem with the club management and players.
“We will always be with him and ensure that all he needs to be happy in Enugu would be given to him to succeed in his new role.
“Rangers FC have been a nice haven for coaches and Coach Abdul Maikaba even confirmed it,” he said.
Orji believes that in a few months time, Rangers FC will be playing their matches in Enugu following the recent move by the state government to renovate the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
A Rangers statement read: “It is grossly unfair that if a club (in this case Celtic) fails to submit sufficient evidence as part of such proceedings, it effectively ties the hands of a sub-committee in being able to determine what a reasonable number of tickets should be; especially when the sub-committee agrees that the reasonable number cannot be zero.
“Conversely, if a club (in this case Rangers) complies fully and provides all necessary information in good faith, it can still be penalise
“Rangers’ position has always been clear. We want away fans from all clubs at our stadium and wish for that to be reciprocated when we travel to other clubs’ grounds.”
While respecting the ongoing process, Celtic stands by its decision not to allocate any tickets for away supporters for the match on December 30.
“Celtic will continue to focus on the importance of safety and matchday experience issues as we look to address reasonable allocations at Celtic Park and Ibrox from next year, in a responsible manner.”
Celtic lead the Scottish Premiership by five points from Rangers who have two games in hand.
The Belgian, unbeaten in 16 games since arriving at Ibrox in October, is set for his first clash against the Light Blues’ arch rival, but because of an ongoing dispute between the two Glasgow giants concerning away tickets when they meet each other, there will be no Gers supporters at Celtic Park on Saturday.
Clement is “curious” as to how his first game against the Hoops will pan out, even with no away fans in attendance although he admits that situation is disappointing.
“In our hearts they will be there,” the Gers boss said.
“It is a pity for football. It is always better to have two sides, it creates a certain atmosphere.
“It is a pity for football, but it is decisions made above my head, with knowing much more things than I know.
“I try to control the controllable, the things I can do, the things we need to do as a team, with my staff and players and the rest is not important. We are not focused on that, we are focused on the football.
“In the end it is always decided on the pitch between those four white lines and 11 against 11 – I hope.
“People can yell and shout whatever they like, but as long as they are not running on the pitch, it is OK with me.”
Clement revealed defender Connor Goldson has trained and the coach also has the possibility of some others from his lengthy injury list being available.
Goldson came off late against Motherwell at Fir Park on Christmas Eve with a groin injury while Rangers were already without Nico Raskin, Tom Lawrence, Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, Ben Davies, John Lundstram, Kemar Roofe, Jose Cifuentes and Danilo with various injuries.
