Rangers are reportedly set to refuse to release Joe Aribo and Leon Balogun for a World Cup Qualifier between Nigeria and Cape Verde.
The fixture is due to take place on 7 September in Cape Verde, following a home qualifier against Liberia four days earlier.
However, Sun News Online reports that the Gers stars are unlikely to feature in either fixture.
That’s because Rangers are set to fall in line with Premier League and La Liga clubs by refusing to allow their players to leave for international duty if they are due to travel to a red list country.
With no exemptions currently available, if the pair were to go and play in Cape Verde, they would be required to isolate for ten days in a hotel upon their return to the UK.
Not only could that be potentially damaging to the mental health of the players concerned, in this case, it would see Aribo and Balogun miss Premiership fixtures against St Johnstone and Motherwell.
SPFL chief Neil Doncaster has backed plans to refuse to release players, saying: “It would be unfair and unreasonable for SPFL clubs to have to release players under these circumstances and we wholeheartedly support any clubs who decline” [BBC Sport].
Alfredo Morelos would have been in a similar situation to Aribo and Balogun had he been selected for Colombia duty, but the 25-year-old was omitted from Reinaldo Rueda’s squad for upcoming matches against Bolivia, Paraguay and Chile.
It’s rare that Rangers and the SPFL see eye to eye but it’s abundantly clear that refusing to let players travel to red list countries is the right approach here, particularly following the Covid outbreak at Ibrox.
Ahead of Rangers’ Europa League playoff second leg against Alashkert, check out our Predicted XI.
