Servette hit by more problems ahead of Rangers tie as decimated Swiss club lashes out at 'deprivation of travel'

During the World Cup in Qatar, Gael Ondoua made headlines by wearing an image of the Russian flag on his boots.

The 27-year-old Cameroon midfielder, who grew up in Russia and who is a Russian citizen, will miss out on the first leg of the third-round qualifier at Ibrox on Wednesday night.

During the World Cup in Qatar, Ondoua made headlines by wearing an image of the Russian flag on his boots amid the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

A statement on Swiss club Servette’s official website said Ondoua had been “deprived of travel to Glasgow” and continued: “His visa has not yet been issued by the British authorities, the player is absent from the trip to Glasgow.

“The significant efforts made for more than two weeks by the club and their player, also in collaboration with the Scottish Football Association, were not enough. The club deplore this situation and support their player and his team, which will have to deal without a major player in their workforce for non-sporting reasons.”

Weiler was already without first-choice goalkeeper Jeremy Frick, Keigo Tsunemoto, Theo Magnin, Miroslav Stevanovic, Alexis Antunes, Alexander Lyng and Enzo Crivelli through either injury or suspension. Cameroon international Jerome Onguene, on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt, is with the Servette squad.

A club official refused to discuss the reason for Ondoua’s visa troubles and, speaking at Ibrox, Weiler said: “It’s clear these players are important for us but I don’t want to spend much time talking about players who can’t play. I want to focus on the players who are capable of playing.

“It’s a big challenge. They’re a very good club with a lot of tradition and success and it’s just a year ago they reached the final of the Europa League. It will be quite hard especially because they lost their first game so we expect a big reaction at home. We have to deliver an excellent performance when you’re playing a game like this.”

Weiler was in charge of Anderlecht in 2017 when they lost 2-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford in extra time of their Europa League tie to exit the competition 3-2 on aggregate and he is expecting a similar experience at a packed Ibrox.

He said: “I’ve had a few experiences like that. Old Trafford and Ibrox are at a similar level. It’s an honour to be here as it is for my players as well. Like that one this will be a high-level encounter between two teams. We lost in extra time, it was a very good atmosphere and it’s something I appreciate about British football, the atmosphere, and I know that goes for my players.

“It’s a motivation for our players. They must stay focused and deliver a good performance but they should enjoy it because it’s what every player wants. It’s the first time for some of them and an amazing opportunity which they should enjoy. Rangers have a brilliant fanbase and they’re very loyal. They have expectations but they’ll always stick by their team.”