Rangers fans are angry! French bureaucrats have a nasty surprise in store for them

The Rangers are a largely unpopular club in the country. Its fans face a lot of unpleasantness before a Europa League match. This time it is not the fault of any controversy, but only the decision of the French authorities, which was subsequently appealed. Such confusion has caused massive problems.

So what’s going on? On Thursday, Rangers are due to play their last Europa League group stage match against a strong Lyon side. Up to 2,000 excited away fans were due to travel to France. But bureaucrats made a last-minute decision that the fans could not enter the stadium.

All this at a time when supporters of the Scottish team had paid for their flights and accommodation. The club itself stepped into the whole situation, issuing an apologetic statement (to its fans) while complaining lightly about the twists and turns in the decision-making of the French authorities.

The club urged its fans not to travel to France.

But then the fans’ association stepped in and managed to reverse the decision of the state authorities, which was helped by the so-called prefectural decree that allows clubs to host up to 2,000 fans of visiting teams.

But some fans are complaining on social media that they have already cancelled everything at the last minute, which will of course cost them a penalty. So the authorities have created a rather confusing situation.

At the Groupama Stadium in Lyon, Rangers may have support. What is happening in France shows that quick reversals of the authorities’ decisions are not just the preserve of the local authorities.

Sources