Moray benefit game for Rangers hero Ricksen
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
AN EMOTIONAL benefit match for stricken former Rangers footballer Fernando Ricksen is set to take place in Moray.
The brave Dutchman (38), who revealed last year he is terminally ill after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), will be among a host of Old Firm stars taking part in a match at Elgin City’s Borough Briggs stadium held in his honour in September.
A Rangers Legends team, which could include big names such as Marco Negri and Michael Mols, will take on a visiting eleven which will include past stars from the likes of Celtic and Aberdeen.
Members of the public in Moray will also be invited to bid in an auction for a chance to play in the match.
In January, a similar match at Rangers’ Ibrox Stadium drew a huge crowd of 41,000, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds in aid of Ricksen and his family.
The player attended that match and took part in the kick-off, despite the effects of an illness which leads to muscle wastage and impairs a sufferer’s ability to walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe.
He will also be in Moray for a sportsman’s dinner held in his honour on Saturday, September 19, at Elgin City Social Club, followed by a benefit match at Borough Briggs the following day.
The game is expected to be all-ticket, with co-organiser Dougie Ross saying requests are already coming in from all across the country.
“It’s going to be absolutely massive,” he said. “I’m getting so many people asking for tickets already, it’s unreal. It’s been a great response.
“I’ve also got seven or eight tables booked for the dinner so it’s going really well.”
Borough Briggs has a capacity of around 4,500 and Ross says demand for tickets will be so high, it could be a sell-out.
The Elgin cabbie is appealing for local businesses or individuals to sponsor the match or the team shirts on the day, and can be contacted on 07776 024180 for more information.
Ross was involved in getting former Rangers strikers Negri and Mols to Elgin for a signing session for Negri’s recent book, drawing in hundreds of fans from across Moray.
Full story in Northern Scot print version.
