COVID CHAOS
Rangers confirm positive tests ahead of Europa play-off and Old Firm clash
RANGERS were last night rocked by a Covid-19 outbreak ahead of their two biggest games of the season.
The Ibrox club meet Alashkert in a Europa League play-off second leg clash in Armenia tomorrow night before returning to face bitter rivals Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday.
And preparations for both matches have been heavily disrupted after the club released a statement confirming positive tests for coronavirus.
The number of positive cases, the identity of those affected and the number of close contacts identified was last night being assessed by public health officials.
Due to fly to Armenia today, however, the Premiership champions now face heading into
two of the defining games of the new season with a decimated squad. ‘Rangers can confirm that during our testing schedule, we have received positive Covid-19 tests,’ read the club statement. ‘Those identified as positive are now in self-isolation along with “close contacts”. ‘We have followed best practice in our procedures and protocols. ‘From the outset of the pandemic, Rangers has worked closely with the Scottish Government and Scottish football to ensure the health of our staff is protected at all times. We will continue to do so.’ Under current rules, players, management or backroom staff who test positive must isolate for ten days. Anyone identified as close contacts also need to isolate unless they have received two doses of a Covid vaccine and successfully return a negative PCR test result. As Sportsmail first reported, Scottish football’s Joint Response Group have encouraged clubs, players and staff to seek protection against the virus by taking up the option of establishing pop-up facilities at stadia. It’s unclear, as yet, how many at Rangers have done so. Developments at Ibrox mirror the build-up to last season’s first Glasgow derby in October. Celtic lost four players to the effects of the pandemic after Odsonne Edouard,
Nir Bitton and Hatem Elhamed all tested positive following international duty. Ryan Christie also missed a 2-0 home defeat by Rangers after he was identified as a close contact of Scotland team-mate Stuart Armstrong. The Parkhead club were also stung in January when a much-criticised winter trip to Dubai ended in former boss Neil Lennon, assistant John Kennedy and 13 first-team players isolating after they were identified as contacts of infected defender Christopher Jullien.