Rangers Covid-19 trio Bongani Zungu, Nathan Patterson and Calvin Bassey have issued a public apology to the Ibrox support as they get the backing of Ibrox gaffer Steven Gerrard.
Alongside sporting director Ross Wilson, Steven Gerrard claims the club have now accepted their apologies with the players now re-joining their teammates in training.
“Our internal discussions were supported by the immediate honesty shown by the players and an appreciation they fell well below the standards we expect at Rangers Football Club, day in and day out,” reads part of a statement signed by Steven Gerrard and Ross Wilson [Rangers].
“Those standards form the foundation that we have set as a club in order to achieve our targets as a team.
“The first-team squad players have now returned to Auchenhowie. We are both now satisfied that the players completely understand their obligations to our club and accept with sincerity the strong disciplinary sanctions that we have imposed upon them for letting us all down.
“We accept their apologies to the club, their team mates and the fans, for whom we are forever grateful for their resolute support and loyalty.”
The supporter update would then include a video link to the three first-team players apologising for the incident with all three visibly sheepish about the entire thing.
You can view that via RangersTV HERE and here’s what they said:
Nathan Patterson
“I just want to take this chance to apologise to my family. I’ve apologised to the players and assured them nothing like this will ever happen again.
“I’ve spoken to the gaffer, I’ve spoken to Ross in great length about the situation and how we move forward.
“I apologise to the fans, being a Rangers fan since birth and being a player here since the age of eight, I know the privileges and I know the meaning behind the shirt and the privilege to wear the Rangers badge and the high standards that are at this club.
“I’ve let myself down and I can only ask for the opportunity to go and prove what I can do on the pitch.”
Calvin Bassey
“I just want to say sorry to my family for putting them through this hard time, I want to say sorry to the players, to the board, to my manager, to Ross [Wilson] and lastly to the fans.
“They are always by our side and have supported us through this journey we’ve had and I just hope you can carry on supporting us and supporting me and I’m sorry for my mistakes.
“Hopefully I can move forward and fulfil my potential at this great club.”
Bongani Zungu
“I’d like to apologise to the Rangers fans.
“It’s been a great season so far for the club and my message is I’d like to apologise and hope the fans can continue to support us and we can put this behind us and focus on the future.”
Youth players Brian Kinnear and Dapo Mebude are not so involved in the first-team and have not been included in the apology video.
Rangers fans were apoplectic upon the news coming out at Ibrox when Steven Gerrard outed the so-called Covid Five for breaching guidelines after being caught at a party in Glasgow.
This time around, they were slightly more forgiving as many of the club’s supporters look to put the incident behind themselves, the players and the club:
https://twitter.com/Walker17987/status/1364596654435938305
https://twitter.com/BroomloanLad/status/1364606570932371460
Others are not quite so forgiving:
https://twitter.com/RFC_William54/status/1364598817920864265
It should be stressed that most of the noises coming out of the Ibrox support are more forgiving but the club’s support is certainly split.
The reality is the onus is now on these players to prove they understand what it takes to play for Rangers and win the support round.
One thing Rangers fans are not split on however is the situation involving Celtic manager Neil Lennon, as they expressed a bit of disappointment the Parkhead legend won’t be in charge for 55.
