Five Rangers players dropped, fined after COVID-19 breach

17 February 2021 - 17:06
By Reuters
Ryan Jack of Rangers celebrates with teammates Bongani Zungu and Cedric Itten after scoring his team's fourth goal during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Rangers Ross County at Ibrox Stadium on January 23, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Image: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Ryan Jack of Rangers celebrates with teammates Bongani Zungu and Cedric Itten after scoring his team's fourth goal during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Rangers Ross County at Ibrox Stadium on January 23, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Five Rangers players have been removed from the squad after breaching COVID-19 regulations and will be fined, manager Steven Gerrard said on Wednesday.

Midfielder Bongani Zungu, defenders Nathan Patterson and Calvin Bassey, striker Dapo Mebude and goalkeeper Brian Kinnear are the five players involved, with British media reporting that they attended a party in Glasgow which was broken up by police.

Gerrard said Scottish Premiership leaders Rangers had contacted the country's Football Association and the government over the incident.

"We have to acknowledge that five of our players have been involved in a breach of the COVID regulations, which we are all really disappointed in," Gerrard told Rangers TV ahead of Thursday's Europa League last-32 first leg at Royal Antwerp.

"That will be dealt with internally and the players will be fined... They have been removed from the club for now on a short-term basis while they isolate and I will sit down with all of those boys face to face once we are allowed to do so.

"I feel personally let down by recent events but, I am trying to move forward and focus on the important things which is to prepare the team for a huge game against Antwerp."

In November, Rangers winger Jordan Jones and defender George Edmundson received seven-game bans after breaching COVID-19 regulations by attending a private gathering.