UEFA Cup: Rangers appeal against Uefa ruling

Rangers have appealed against Uefa's ruling that Thursday's Uefa Cup tie against Anzhi Makhachkala must go ahead in Dagestan.

Chairman David Murray stopped short of carrying out his earlier threat to pull the club out of the competition if Rangers were forced to travel to the Russian province.

But it was clear Murray was not happy with Uefa's decision to give the green light to the first round, first leg match.

Murray warned Uefa he was prepared take the matter to the Court of Arbitration in Sport, the Swiss-based independent body who settle sporting disputes.

Murray wants assurances that his staff will be 100% safe in Dagestan and is pressing for a compromise and for the match to be switched to another Russian city.

"We are disappointed that Uefa have not accepted the seriousness of the advice which we have received against travelling to Dagestan," said the Ibrox chairman.

"We understand Uefa's reluctance to interfere with the normal arrangements of a competition but still firmly believe that the balance of information available to us has led to a risk assessment of an unsatisfactory nature.

"The safety of the club's employees remains our foremost consideration. There are still appeal procedures which are open to the club and these are being pursued vigorously.

"These discussions are extremely delicate and could ultimately lead to an approach to the Court of Arbitration in Sport."

Dick Advocaat's side are due to meet Anzhi Makhachkala in the Dagestani capital, which is close to war-torn Chechnya and has been rocked by car bombs in the past few days.

The Foreign Office have advised Britons not to go there after Westerners were kidnapped.

Rangers had asked for the game to be moved to another venue, but Uefa rejected the application.