Controversial former Rangers signing Gael Bigirimana misses penalty in Colts win

Add as preferred source on Google

Rangers fans following the club’s youngsters in the Challenge Cup were certainly dealt a blast from the past last night.

Rangers Colts defeated the English non-league outfit Solihull Moors on penalties to book themselves a semi-final place. Current outcast Eros Grezda scored a brace to rescue the game for Rangers before goalkeeper Lewis Budinauckas’ penalty heroics secured the win. 

Rangers fans would have certainly recognised the name of the player whose penalty was crucially saved to secure Rangers the win. The player in question is Gael Bigirimana.

The 26-year-old joined Solihull on Monday and came off the bench for his debut less than 24 hours later. He is on a short term deal at the club after leaving Hibernian at the end of last season.  

Rangers fans will know him as one of the infamous Newcastle United five that arrived at Ibrox in January 2015. 

He, along with Haris Vuckic, Kevin Mbabu, Remie Streete and Shane Ferguson all arrived in Glasgow on loan. 

Newcastle United chairman Mike Ashley, as reported by the BBC, was a shareholder at Rangers after loaning the club £10 million during their financial crisis. 

It was a hugely controversial spell in Rangers’ recent history and the five players all struggled to make a serious impact at Ibrox. 

Bigirimana never even played a game for Rangers. As confirmed by the player himself and reported by the Daily Record, a medical condition prevented him from playing in Scotland. The BBC reported that former Rangers chief executive and Derek Llambias, an Ashley ally, had signed the midfielder without a medical being performed. 

“I came here because I wanted to help Rangers out and I’ve come to like the place so much and the club as well. But what’s happened has happened and if I can’t play for Rangers because of my medical condition then hopefully, when this gets sorted, one day I’ll come back. Hopefully, I’ll get another chance to come here on loan or permanently.”

Stuart McCall, the then Rangers manager, suggested the player should never have been signed in the first place, as reported by the BBC. 

---

“It’s an unfortunate circumstance that really should never have happened.

“Unfortunately because of his medical condition he won’t be able to play for us. But that is as big a blow to the kid as it is for us. It’s not his fault, this has been nothing to do with him.”

Since then the Burundi-born midfielder has returned to hometown club Coventry City, played for Motherwell and Hibs before joining Solihull this week. 

There is certainly a poetry to the fact his first game for his new club, was against a team he never got a chance to play for in Rangers. 

It is just a shame for him personally that he had to have such an influence on Rangers’ successful outcome.