Philippe Clement reveals his Rangers surprise over Ibrox cock-up and the vital Hampden guarantees he sought

Chairman John Bennett has issued an apology to the Rangers support for the Copland construction cock-up - but admits he still doesn’t know how long the club’s Ibrox exile will last.

The Gers chief held his hands up after confirming he is in the final stages of talks with the SFA to rent out Hampden while they are locked out of their own stadium. A delayed steel shipment has forced multi-million pound upgrade works on disabled facilities to be put on hold - putting the entire ground out of commission. Bennett initially thought he would only have to look for alternative accommodation for the first month of the season.

But Record Sport revealed last week that it could be October before Philippe Clement’s side are allowed to return home. That sparked another furious response from fans, who have demanded answers from the club’s top brass since news of the shipment delay broke last month. Now Bennett has finally put his head above the parapet after issuing a statement.

It said: “First I’d like to apologise on behalf of the club for the uncertainty that this delayed project has caused to our season ticket holders, hospitality clients, partners and the wider support of this football club. The number of variables in this situation has made it extremely difficult to bring the one thing we all crave – certainty.

“Nevertheless, we are closing in on the most immediate solution - a suitable venue at which to fulfil our fixtures and house our support. While the ongoing delay means that the club is unable to fix a date for our return to Ibrox, we anticipate that this will become clearer upon delivery of the necessary materials to Glasgow.

“Rangers thanks the Scottish FA and the SPFL for their strong support in working to this solution.