Rangers men will serve bans in time for title party
THREE Rangers players will be able to take part in the Premiership trophy day celebrations in May after being handed immediate four-match bans for breaking Covid-19 regulations.
Nathan Patterson, Calvin Bassey and Bongani Zungu discovered their disciplinary fate yesterday afternoon following a Scottish FA hearing into alleged breaches of Disciplinary Rules 24 and 77 after they attended an illegal house party in Glasgow last month.
Academy players Dapo Mebude and Brian Kinnear, who are on loan at Queen of the South and Annan Athletic respectively, have also been given four-match bans and all five players will face a further two-match suspension should they repeat the offence before the end of the season.
The incident involving the Ibrox quintet was the second that Steven Gerrard had to deal with this season following the actions of George Edmundson and Jordan Jones in November and a Rangers source said: “We are considering all our options and will make further comment if required.”
Edmundson and Jones were given seven-match suspensions by the Scottish FA following their attendance at a house party after Rangers’ Premiership victory over Kilmarnock and neither would play for Gerrard’s side again as they joined Derby County and Sunderland respectively during the January transfer window.
Gerrard insisted earlier this month that both incidents had been dealt with in the same manner by Rangers and the news of a more lenient punishment in this occasion will come as a relief to the champions as they bid for an unbeaten Premiership campaign and Scottish Cup success this term.
Patterson has deputised for captain James Tavernier at right-back in recent weeks, while Bassey and Zungu, who is on loan from Amiens, have regularly featured in the Rangers squad.
The trio will begin their suspensions when Rangers face Cove in the Scottish Cup this weekend but they will be available for the closing fixtures in the league as Rangers count down to the visit of Aberdeen on May 15 that will see them lift the Premiership silverware for the first time in a decade.