The AFCON and fates of Rangers’ Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun and Calvin Bassey is up in the air after the European Club Association wrote to FIFA threatening to block the African tournament from calling up their players in light of what is regarded as substandard Covid protocols for January’s competition.

The Rangers trio were said to be hearing this week whether or not the Super Eagles would be employing their use ‘in time’ for the Old Firm, but the issue is now complicated by threats from Europe’s top clubs to boycott the release of their assets in case of contraction of Covid and subsequent isolation.

Reassuringly, a random Cameroon spokeman has alleged this story is ‘fake news’, despite respected press such as the AFP and Telegraph actually seeing the letter in question and verifying its authenticity.

Or, in other words, there’s a real chance the tournament could be called off because so many top European clubs have withdrawn their players, or are threatening to.

In reality, as much as we want Aribo, Bassey and Balogun to be at our club, we also cannot unfairly deny them representing their nation at a major championships. But this is on the assumption that they’re well-treated and safe, and it won’t cost us their services. And they won’t bring anything back.

That assumption isn’t there right now, and if Rangers do endorse this ECA threat on the AFCON, we back it completely.