October 25, (THEWILL) – Glasgow Rangers are set to apply to the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to allow three key first-team players to play in the Old Firm derby against Celtic on January 2, ahead of the 2022 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The Ibrox side will travel to Celtic Park to face their long-time Scottish title rivals, but Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun, and Calvin Bassey are all expected to be part of the Super Eagles’ AFCON squad at the time.
While the Gers will be rooting for their Nigerian stars to succeed, there are reports that Ibrox officials have applied for special dispensation to allow their three players to join the Nigerian squad late in order to have the trio feature in the tie against Celtic.
The defending champions are confident of reaching an agreement with the NFF to allow their players to join up after the December 27 deadline set by FIFA.
The continental football tournament, which will be held in Cameroon this year, will run from the January 9 to February 6, 2022.
The Ibrox club is expected to reach an agreement with the NFF that will be similar to Premier League clubs’ efforts to keep key players until the last possible moment during the busy winter schedule.
The tournament’s impact on Rangers will be limited by the Winter Break, but AFCON 2022 will affect up to five matches, especially if the Super Eagles go as far as they are expected to.
Rangers will play in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup on January 22, while Premiership matches against Livingston, Ross County, and Hearts will be played throughout the tournament.
If Nigeria makes it to the final of the tournament, the Gers trio are unlikely to play in the match against Hibs on February 9 at Ibrox.
Rangers fans were also concerned that Zambian striker Fashion Sakala will be called up for AFCON duty as well but those fears were put to rest after the central African country did not qualify for the competition.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
