Rangers were due to take on St Joseph’s in Gibraltar next Tuesday – but UEFA have now thrown that date into doubt.
Record Sport revealed the minnows were of the belief the first leg of their Europa League qualifier was going to be brought forward after a move to play BOTH legs at Ibrox was ruled out.
Light Blues chiefs have been locked in discussions with UEFA and their St Joseph’s counterparts over a date for the match that has thrown up logistical issues.
FC Europa are also due to be at home next week if they come through their tie against Sant Julia and would use the same Victoria Stadium.
Rangers were expected to wait until the outcome of that clash before agreeing a date for their match but are keen for a quick resolution to allow them to put travel plans in place.
The match was set to take place on July 9 with a 4.55pm kick off UK time, with St Joseph’s offering Rangers just short of 1000 tickets - the same as Celtic when they faced Lincoln Red Imps in the same stadium in 2016.
But UEFA have stepped in again and the match could be moved back to the Thursday. An Ibrox source told us it was "50-50" over when the game would be played. Both clubs want the tie played on Tuesday and the situation is proving frustrating.
The Small Island Games are also being held in Gibraltar next week which will result in accommodation issues and that led to discussions over the possibility of both games taking place in Glasgow.
Earlier on Wednesday, club sporting director John Paul Hendrick told Record Sport: “We spoke with representatives of Rangers and UEFA and the decision has been made to play the match in Gibraltar next Tuesday, July 9 with a kick off of 5.55pm local time.
“Rangers needed some time to make arrangements so we agreed to this date. We have offered 960 tickets which Red Imps gave to Celtic a few years back.
“The possibility of playing both games at Ibrox was discarded and we believe we have come up with the best solution to keep everyone happy.
“The Island Games start this weekend and will be going on for a week so we had to consider that. The police will have a hard time but there’s not much more we can do - we have to play the game.”
