Rangers have been slapped with a £9k (€10k) fine from UEFA for failing to kick off their Europa League clash with Benfica at Ibrox on time.
The 2-2 draw between the Scottish and Portuguese giants took place on 26th November and the club will now have to pay the cost of failing to start the match at 8pm GMT.
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has however evaded punishment for the late kick-off after proceedings against the Ibrox gaffer were closed.
The Ibrox club now have 90 days to pay the fine, which was issued by UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary body [BT Sport].
This is the second time Rangers have been fined by UEFA this season after the club breached the “Return to Play” guidelines in their Europa League playoff tie against Galatasaray.
The Gers were hit with a £4.5k (€5k) fine for making an error in following the new rules regarding stewarding zones for European competition [Glasgow Times].
Rangers fans have had a mixed response on Twitter with some angry at UEFA for being pedantic whilst others had some fun with it:
https://twitter.com/Elijay65511946/status/1336407733617258505
https://twitter.com/TrueBluesLoyal/status/1336401917908570112
https://twitter.com/Chr1sMcLaughlin/status/1336367012780658689
https://twitter.com/johnmasonrtid/status/1336375013855928323
https://twitter.com/glasgowsportsfa/status/1336354756307132420
Rangers currently sit top of Group D in this season’s Europa League, qualifying with a game against Lech Poznan to spare.
If they can match Benfica’s result on Thursday night they’ll go through as group winners – but just how far can Rangers go in the competition this season?
