Rangers International have apologised to their supporters following their exit from the CAF Champions League, promising to learn from the defeat and return stronger.
The Nigerian champions were knocked out of the competition on Friday after losing 3-0 to Algeria’s MC Alger at the Ali La Pointe Stadium in Algiers.
The defeat gave MC Alger a 3-2 aggregate victory, despite Rangers winning the first leg 2-0 in Abeokuta last weekend.
Hours after the match, Rangers General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Amobi Ezeaku, issued an emotional message on social media, apologising to the club’s supporters and assuring them that the defeat would not end their ambitions.
In his message titled “To the Rangers Family: Our Story Is Bigger Than One Defeat,” Ezeaku admitted that the result was painful for the club and its fans.
“Tonight, I speak to you with a heavy heart. The defeat to MC Alger hurts deeply, and I know it hurts you too. From the bottom of my heart, I am sincerely sorry that we could not give you the result, the joy, and the pride you deserved tonight,” he wrote.
The Rangers chief acknowledged the disappointment among supporters, saying he understood their feelings not only as the club’s General Manager but also as someone who had invested himself in the Rangers project.
He also reminded fans of the club’s progress in recent years, highlighting their league title victories in the 2023/2024 and 2025/2026 seasons.
“Please, remember where we were in 2023 and how far we have come. We inherited challenges, but we chose to rebuild. Through sacrifice, difficult decisions, resilience, and collective belief, we won the league in 2023/2024, faced setbacks, and rose again to become champions in 2025/2026,” Ezeaku stated.
According to him, the club’s journey has been about more than winning trophies, as Rangers have also worked to restore pride, rebuild confidence, strengthen their structures and invest in their future.
He admitted that the Champions League defeat was difficult to accept but promised that the club would learn from the experience.
“If I could take away the disappointment you feel tonight, I would. If I could give you the victory your hearts desired, I would do so without hesitation. But all I can offer you now is my sincere apology, my honest commitment, and my promise that we will learn from this experience and keep fighting,” he said.
Ezeaku also urged supporters not to allow the painful result to overshadow the progress the club had made, while assuring them that their loyalty and expectations would not be taken for granted.
“To our players, we will learn and return stronger. To our supporters, thank you for standing with us. Your expectations are valid, your disappointment is understood, and your love for Rangers will never be taken for granted,” he added.
The General Manager further assured fans that the club’s ambitions remained unchanged despite the early exit from the continental competition.
“I cannot promise a journey without setbacks, but I can assure you that our ambition remains intact. We will keep working, keep building, and keep fighting to make you proud,” Ezeaku wrote.
He insisted that the defeat would not bring an end to the club’s plans, urging the Rangers family to remain united as they look ahead to the future.
“We have come too far to surrender our dreams now. The Rangers story is still being written, and this defeat will not be its final chapter,” he said.
“We may have lost a match, but we have not lost our way. We are hurting, but we are not broken.”
Ezeaku also thanked the supporters for their patience, loyalty and continued belief in the team, asking them to remain committed to the club despite the disappointment.
“Tonight, we feel the pain. Tomorrow, we return to the work. We will rise again. We will fight again. And we will keep building the Rangers we all dream of,” he declared.
He ended his message with Rangers’ popular slogan, “NEVER SAY DIE!”
How Rangers Lost to MC Alger
Rangers entered Friday’s return leg with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg in Abeokuta but failed to hold on as MC Alger scored three times in the second half.
Chahreddine Boukholda opened the scoring for the Algerian side in the 58th minute before Guinean forward Mohamed Bangoura scored again with six minutes left in regular time to level the tie at 2-2 on aggregate.
With the match appearing to be heading for a penalty shootout, Soufiane Bayazid scored in the third minute of stoppage time to complete MC Alger’s comeback.
The goal secured a 3-0 victory on the night and a 3-2 aggregate win, ending Rangers’ hopes of reaching the CAF Champions League group stage.
Despite the disappointment, Ezeaku has called on the club’s supporters to keep faith with the team as Rangers begin the process of learning from the defeat and rebuilding for future challenges.
