EUROPA League
Nigeria’s trio looking to make history in Europa League as Rangers confront Eintracht Frankfurt
Rangers stand on the brink of glory in the Europa League, and five Africans are looking to create history with the Scottish giants.
Defenders Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun and forwards Joe Aribo, Amad Diallo and Fashion Sakala could all be involved in Wednesday’s final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Rangers saw off former European champions Borussia Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade in the knockout stages before overcoming RB Leipzig in the last four to set up a date with destiny.
Can either of the three Nigerians, the Ivorian or the Zambian be the man to end Rangers’ 50-year wait for a European trophy when they meet German side Eintracht in Seville?
Here, former Rangers and Scotland forward Steven Thompson assesses the impact the quintet have had on the Glasgow club’s bid for glory in Europe’s second-tier continental club competition.
Bassey maturing and finding consistency
Defender Bassey has started 12 of 16 games in the Europa League, either at left-back or centre-back. The 22-year-old, who is in his second season at Ibrox, made his Nigeria debut in March.
“This season, he’s made himself one of Rangers’ best players,” Thompson, 43, told BBC Sport Africa.
“His performances have been incredibly consistent. He has proven his versatility as well, playing some times at left-back and other times at centre-half where I actually think he looks more comfortable with his power, his pace, his composure on the ball and his strength.
“He has been such, such a big player this season, I’ve been so impressed. He’s matured so much I think he would probably be a lot of supporters’ pick for player of the season.
“The big issue for me is I think he’s been that good that I think there will be clubs undoubtedly looking at him because of his versatility, his athleticism and how consistent he has been.”
Balogun ‘never lets side down’
Centre-back Balogun has been a dependable defender since his move north from Wigan in 2020.
The 33-year-old has scored twice in the run to the final – in the group-stage win over Brondby and last-16 tie against Red Star Belgrade – but has found himself on the bench in recent knockout matches.
“Balogun has been in and out of the team this season, but he’s never ever let Rangers down,” Thompson said.
“More recently, we’ve been seeing Bassey in at centre-half and Borna Barisic at left-back now he’s rediscovered his form, so I’m not sure if Balogun will start the final.
“I would say it’d be more likely to be Connor Goldson and Bassey who are the centre-halves with Barisic left-back – but Balogun has had a very good season and has played over 30 games.”
Dynamic Aribo a fans’ favourite
Aribo joined Rangers from Charlton in 2019 and has become a key player, only missing one of their European outings in 2021-22.
“He started the season incredibly well and he’s a big fans’ favourite,” Thompson said of the 25-year-old Nigerian.
“He’s very good on the ball; creative, strong, dynamic. He’s put in some huge performances in Europe and been asked to play a number of positions.
“He’s been almost an ever-present in that Rangers midfield. He is such a threat and has had big moments in the Europa League run.
“There’s no doubt that he contributes a lot to the side. I do think he needs to up his numbers in terms of goals and assists.”
Sakala an ‘unpredictable’ forward
Zambian striker Sakala is still settling in Scotland following his switch from Belgian side KV Oostende at the end of last season.
He has chipped in with nine league goals – including a hat-trick at Motherwell and an equaliser in this month’s Old Firm derby at Celtic – but the 25-year-old has mostly been used as a substitute in Europe.
However, injuries to Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe have seen him rise up the pecking order.
“Sakala still splits opinion a bit,” Thompson said.
“He is very, very raw, has got incredible pace, and is very, very direct. The big question mark is sometimes the final thing he does – but that comes with playing more games and gaining more experience.
“He’s very off the cuff. He’s got an unpredictability about him, and he can prove to be a dangerous player.
“If he doesn’t start against Frankfurt, then I’m sure that he will come on in the game and he can have a big impact, because of the attributes that he possesses.”
As for Diallo, the 19-year-old has not been used in Europe since joining on loan from Manchester United in January.
Thompson says the Ivory Coast international, who has scored two goals in his past three games, has shown “flashes” of his talent.
A chance to become ‘immortals’
In the club’s first European final since 2008, when Rangers were beaten by Zenit St Petersburg in the Uefa Cup final, Bassey and company are looking to emulate the side which lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971-72.
A win over Eintracht offers the added bonus of direct entry into next season’s Champions League group stage – something Rangers last achieved in 2010.
“This team has an opportunity to immortalise themselves in Rangers history,” Thompson said.
“It’s not very often Scottish teams reach European finals, and it’s been a long time since a team’s won one [Aberdeen in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1983].
“So it’s just such an incredibly huge game for the club and for the players. They would never have dreamt that they would be in this position at the start of this campaign but they’ve grown with confidence.
“There’s a real togetherness about this Rangers team. If they were to do it, that’s them with an indelible link in the history of the club.”
-BBC
UEFA has decided to postpone its assessment of the multi-club ownership case involving Olympique Lyonnais and Crystal Palace until the French club’s relegation has been confirmed, European football’s governing body said on Monday.
The multi-club ownership regulations do not allow clubs under the same ownership compete in the same European competition, and American businessman John Textor holds a stake in both Palace and Lyon.
Palace qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup last season while Lyon reached the competition by finishing sixth in Ligue 1 but have since been relegated to Ligue 2 by French football’s financial watchdog (DNCG).
Lyon are appealing the decision, which came following an audit of the club’s finances, and UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body will now await the outcome of the appeal before making its decision.
UEFA and Lyon reached a settlement agreement over the club’s breach of the financial sustainability requirements, and as part of the settlement, Lyon agreed to their exclusion from European competition should the DNCG confirm their relegation.
League of Ireland club Drogheda United lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this month over their exclusion from the Conference League, after falling foul of the multi-club ownership rules.
-Reuters
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Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Ange Postecoglou, the club said on Friday, little more than two weeks after the Australian guided the London club to a first major trophy in 17 years with victory in the Europa League final.
While Postecoglou’s fate has split opinion amongst the fans, the 59-year-old ultimately paid the price for an horrendous Premier League season which saw Tottenham finish 17th.
“The Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place,” Tottenham said in a statement.
“Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season.”
Postecoglou leaves two years to the day after his appointment and 16 days after his side beat Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao for the club’s first silverware since 2008, a win that also put them in next season’s Champions League.
The former Celtic manager has had to face questions over his future for several months, yet delivered on his claim early last season that he always wins a trophy in his second season in a job
He also took Tottenham to the League Cup semi-final but their league campaign was their worst since 1976-77, the last time the club suffered relegation from the top flight.
Several of the club’s first team have voiced their support for Postecoglou since beating United, but chairman Daniel Levy is now searching for his fifth full-time manager in six years since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in 2019.
“At times there were extenuating circumstances — injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign,” the club said. “Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club’s greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph.”
Several managers have been linked to the Tottenham job, including Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner.
GOOD START
Postecoglou will walk away with his pride intact and a handsome bonus, but his recent comment to fans at the Europa League victory parade that the third season of a TV series is always better than the second now looks hollow.
It all started so well for Postecoglou. He began the 2023-24 campaign by guiding Tottenham to their best start to a top-flight season since the 1961 title-winning team.
That form soon dipped though and despite finishing fifth in his first campaign the momentum had long since gone.
This season Tottenham earned only 38 points and lost 22 top-flight matches. They managed five points from their last 12 league games and the only win they earned during that run was against a Southampton side who narrowly avoided becoming statistically the worst team ever in the Premier League.
Postecoglou has pointed to a long injury list which denied him the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Son Heung-min for significant periods.
But while it has clearly been one of long-serving chairman Levy’s toughest calls, he has concluded that Postecoglou is not the man to lead the club forward.
“We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision,” the club statement said.
“We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon. We should like to express our gratitude to him. We wish him well for the future — he will always be welcome back at our home.”
Many fans reacted to the news of Postecoglou’s sacking with surprise, but England manager Thomas Tuchel said that sometimes even winning a trophy is not enough.
“I feel for every manager and I have huge sympathy for every manager in these moments because I was in the same spot,” the German, who was sacked by Chelsea despite taking them to the Champions League title, said on Friday.
“If the trust is not there anymore then sometimes it’s not enough to win a trophy.”
-Reuters
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UEFA apologised for running out of winners’ medals during the Europa League final trophy ceremony on Wednesday after more Tottenham Hotspur players lined up to receive their prizes.
Spurs captain Son Heung-min and two other players, the last to line up for individual medals, were left empty-handed after their team beat Manchester United 1-0 to win the club’s fourth European title on Wednesday.
Son lifted the trophy without a medal around his neck.
“To our great displeasure, we did not have enough medals available on stage during the trophy ceremony presentation due to an unexpected discrepancy in the player count …” British media quoted European soccer’s governing body as saying on Thursday.
“More team members – including injured players – participated in the ceremony than initially anticipated.
“The missing medals were promptly delivered to the winning team in the dressing room, along with our sincerest apologies for the oversight.”
-Reuters
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