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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Stewart Wilson

Calvin Bassey praises Giovanni van Bronckhorst's Rangers mindset

Rangers hero Calvin Bassey has praised Giovanni van Bronckhorst's mindset, commending his "chilled" attitude during the Ibrox side's Europa League run a couple of  seasons ago.

The Light Blues reached the final in Seville before suffering heartbreak on penalties against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bassey was one of the standouts from the campaign with his performances securing him a £19.5million move to Ajax.

And the defender, who is currently on the books of Fulham, had nothing but good things to say about Van Bronckhorst.

Speaking to The Athletic, he said: "What a guy — from the first game, Gio said, ‘Calvin, you’re playing’.

"He said he trusted me, he knew I had some things to work on but he wanted me to go out and enjoy it.

"He didn’t make me stronger or faster, he just gave me confidence. were losing 1-0 to Leipzig after the first leg of the semi-final and we (the Rangers players) were arguing, but then he came in so chilled.

"He said, ‘Calm. We’re going to see them at home’. Ibrox was our fortress. We could win any game.

"I’ve played at a lot of grounds now but none are as loud or intense. Not a lot of players have experienced it so they can be rattled, no matter who it is.”

Meanwhile, Rangers have endorsed the "strong message" from the European Club Association on the 'Super League project'.

A statement from the club body insisted a ruling from the European Court of Justice "in no way whatsoever supports or endorses any form of Super League project".

And the strongly-worded statement insists "the world of football moved on from the Super League years ago".

Now, Rangers have endorsed the fierce message against the Super League project as the club vowed to "uphold the true principles of European football".

A post on X, formerly Twitter, read: "Rangers FC enjoys fantastic representation within @ECAEurope, and we reiterate and endorse their strong message on the ‘Super League project.’

"We will continue to work with ECA and UEFA to uphold the true principles of European football."

The ECA statement read: "European Club Association (ECA), representing nearly 500 professional football clubs across Europe, takes note of the judgment issued by the European Court of Justice today.

"To be absolutely clear, the judgment in no way whatsoever supports or endorses any form of Super League project. "Since the legal case was brought two years ago, major progressive governance reforms have already been put in place across the ecosystem of football in Europe and worldwide, including new UEFA rules for competition pre-authorisation; and in particular, reforms under ECA’s Memorandum of Understanding and Joint Venture with UEFA, and FIFA (signed in September and March this year).

"Through ECA, clubs today are already at the heart of decision-making in relation to the competitions they participate in.

"In short, the world of football moved on from the Super League years ago and progressive reforms will continue. "Most importantly, football is a social contract not a legal contract – all the recognized stakeholders of European and world football - spanning confederations, federations, clubs, leagues, players and fans - stand more united than ever against the attempts by a few individuals pursing personal agendas to undermine the very foundations and basic principles of European football. "ECA will continue to work with UEFA, FIFA and all recognized stakeholders of football to develop the game positively and progressively – founded on the principles of sporting meritocracy, inclusiveness, open competition and genuine solidarity.

"These principles are at the heart of ECA, and at the core of the European Sports Model, on which all levels of the pyramid benefit and prosper."

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