3rd November, 2022
Rangers International Football Club on Thursday said they were withdrawing from the ongoing Ifeanyi Ekwueme/TICO pre-season tournament in Enugu as a result of poor organisation.
The Enugu-based club’s Media Officer, Norbert Okolie, disclosed in a statement that the management arrived at the decision after due consultation with the team’s coaching crew.
Okolie quoted the club’s Administrative Secretary, Ferdinand Ugwuarua, as saying the tournament’s poor organisation was evident in irregular fixtures and questionable acts by the organisers.
“It was our wish to use the tournament to test the readiness of our new players for the competitive stage.
“Fortunately, the stage we have reached in our pre-season programme has gone beyond this Ifeanyi Ekwueme/TICO tournament, and deciding to pull out of it was easy.
“Moreover, the irregular nature of the fixtures has not helped matters, while questionable acts by the main organiser are at variance with our club’s standard,” Ugwuarua said.
He was further quoted to have added: “This tournament has made us miss out on playing two grade A games that were scheduled to hold during this period.
“We need to be focused on our preparations for the coming season and if there are improvements in the organisation of the tournament in the near future, Rangers FC may participate.
“But for the exigency of time, we are no more taking part in this fourth edition of the tournament”.