Dagestan - to go or not to go. (Glasgow Rangers F.C.)

Member Name: mattthebhoy

Product:	Glasgow Rangers F.C.
Date:	11/09/01 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Income from the UEFA cup, get it over and done with

Disadvantages: European ban?, Rangers have enough injury problems already

UEFA this morning told Rangers that they had to play Thursday's UEFA cup game in Makhachkala, Dagestan.

Rangers Chairman David Murray has said that the club will appeal the decision, pending stronger guarantees of safety from the Russian officials.

As a tim, I'm not sure how Rangers should approach this.

Sure, there may be a risk of fighting spilling over from neighbouring Chechnya, and it has been questioned if teh game would be allowed to go ahead if it was Manchester United or Real Madrid involved, rather than Rangers. But what if Rangers had drawn Atletico Bilbao? Would there have been a question of fulfilling the game despite ETA's warning to tourists not to travel and the UK Foreign Office warning tourists to be on the lookout for bombs. Effectively, that would be the same situation as any potential problems in Makhachkala. But why should a tema ahve to travel to a warzone? They shouldn't have to. But, and I may be unpopular for mentioning this, do Rangers not travel now and again to Belfast? Again, a similar theoretical threat. Don't get me wrong, I don't have any problems going to Belfast myself, but we're dealiong with a theoretical problem in all these cases.

I'll concede it's a difficult position for Rangers to be in, on one hand the saftey of the squad, which is rightly paramount. But on the other hand, the possibilty of a ban from European competition if they don't turn up. Rangers Squad was assembled with a view to challenging in the Champions League, and any European ban would make Rangers' current wage structure untenable. This would, in turn, lead to the squad being pretty much disbanded. This would be extremly bad for Rangers FC, and Scottish football in the whole.

On balance, it's probably better if Rangers go, but UEFA are being extremly unfair putting the pressure on them, especially with the precedent of the infamous Scotland/Estonia Floodlightgate. Tea
m dosen't turn up, and what's the punishment? A replay in a neutral venue.

UEFA should be thinking about that, and move the game. Simple as that.

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