Rangers aspire to be back in Ibrox by end of September, says John Bennett

Published 29th Jul 2024

Rangers chairman John Bennett says they 'aspire' to be back playing at Ibrox by the end of September.

The club will play their home matches at Hampden at the beginning of the season due to a shipment delay impacting construction work at their own ground.

Philippe Clement's side are due to host Hibernian on September 28 - with that date being set as the return goal for the Rangers hierarchy.

However, Bennett added the situation could change as they still await two of the three shipments of steel.

He told Rangers TV: “I want to apologise again on behalf of this club for the uncertainty this has caused our fans.

“I can assure the fans that the people in this club are working tirelessly to get this done. We need to finish this job. We will finish this job.

“What we are dealing with here is a materials delay, mid-shipment. We’re not alone, it is happening globally.

“Our situation is that we have three consignments on three vessels making their way to Glasgow. Vessel number one has arrived – it is in Glasgow and we await two and three.

“With vessels two and three, I have been straining to get certainty and its the one thing we crave. I can’t give it and it’s an understatement to say that is frustrating. It’s more than that.

“With delivery number two, as things stand, subject to further slippage and it frustrates me to have to caveat it that way – is scheduled to arrive in Glasgow on the second week of August.

“Shipment number three is scheduled to arrive in the third week of August. That’s when we can get begin to think about timelines.

“It is an aspiration at this stage. It is still uncertain.

“When I think about timelines, clearly after the September international break. We can aspire for that to be at the end of September. It is an aspiration.

“It could slip beyond that.”

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