In what is a quirky story, a delegation from Chilean club Rangers de Talca will arrive at Ibrox this weekend seeking to establish a working agreement with their Glasgow counterparts.
The club from the south of Chile are believed to have been formed back in 1902 by a migrant Scotsman with a very obvious inspiration for naming the side.
Seb Rozental’s high profile move from Universidad de Catolica to Rangers in 1996 still resonates in the South American nation to this day. At that time, he was the most expensive signing in Chilean football but his time at Ibrox was an ill-fated one due to a knee injury suffered shortly after his arrival.
This venture from Rangers de Talca is said to have been supported by Rozental, as well as inspired by the same idea of Everton de Vina del Mar of Chile who secured a game against their more illustrious Liverpool based counterparts back in 2010.
Club chairman Felipe Munoz stated:
“We hope that this is the first step to play, at some point, a friendly match in Chile or Scotland.”
“We want to form an alliance with Rangers. There are high expectations. It is a tour from which we hope a lot to be able to get closer to Rangers and that can be translated into sports, commercial and institutional links.”
SOÑADORES ROJINEGROS, EN BUSCA DE LOS ORÍGENES 🤝
La agrupación Soñadores Rojinegros que lidera José Luis Fernández se traslada a Escocia para establecer vínculos con el Glasgow Rangers en una visita oficial que busca generar una relación cercana con los orígenes del #Rojinegro. pic.twitter.com/mNaqcWFMDr
— Rangers de Talca (@Rangersdetalca_) August 2, 2022
The translated caption on the tweet reads:
“BLACK AND RED DREAMS, IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINS”
“The Soñadores Rojinegros group led by José Luis Fernández moves to Scotland to establish ties with Glasgow Rangers on an official visit that seeks to generate a close relationship with the origins of #Rojinegro.”
Experience
On Saturday, the guests from Talca will get the full impression of Ibrox in what is an important game against Kilmarnock for different reasons. A sell-out capacity crowd will be expecting a strong response following the midweek shambles in Belgium, whilst in itself it is very importnat that the home league season gets off to a positive start. There is plenty at stake, even at this early stage of the campaign.
As the rojinegro name suggests, Rangers de Talca play in red in black. Whilst they don’t share the famous royal blue, the synonymous socks as worn down the years at Ibrox with the links to the burgh of Govan will provide another point of reference to the guests from Chile.
They are sure to have a great experience in Glasgow this weekend and it will be interesting to hear more about their story and any possible developments.