Rangers assistant manager Issame Charaï has told Gazet van Antwerpen that Phillippe Clement’s exit from Ibrox came as a “shock” to him.
On January 29th, the Scottish club appointed Charaï as assistant manager and less than a month later, they sacked Clement.
Rangers appointed Barry Ferguson as the inter manager until the end of the season and the 42-year-old continues his role as an assistant manager at Ibrox.
Charaï has explained there was initially uncertainty over his role after the Belgian’s exit. The club gave him reassurance, and this allowed him to move his family to Glasgow last week.
“The past period has been very hectic. Philippe’s dismissal was not easy, it was also a shock for me,” he said.
“Nevertheless, the club assured me that they wanted to continue with me. I still have three and a half years of contract here.
“My family also arrived here last week. Because of Philippe’s dismissal, that was also uncertain for a while. But as soon as I got certainty, we simply continued the visa procedures.
“In the meantime, everything is fine, the children have already had their first day of school. Before that, they lived in Rabat in Morocco after my period with the national team. Moving back to Belgium was crazy, because it was not yet clear in the past months where I would start working.”
Charaï managed Morocco U23 from November 2022 to March 2024 and took the assistant manager role at RC Strasbourg last summer. Clement and other Scottish club’s officials had a role in convincing him to leave the French for Rangers.
“Philippe had contacted me when Andries Ulderink left at the end of December. That was for personal reasons. They didn’t say anything more, so I didn’t ask myself any further questions,” Charaï explained.
“After a conversation with Niels Koppen, the Belgian technical director, and then CEO Patrick Stewart, everyone was satisfied. In my eyes, Philippe is the best Belgian coach at the moment.
“He is a truly highly regarded coach who has already won many prizes. I absolutely wanted to work under such a successful coach. Moreover, we are both from Antwerp, which made it easier.”
Prior to his arrival in Scotland, Charaï had a role in Rangers’ signing of Hamza Igamane from Moroccan side AS FAR last summer.
Charaï previously managed the 22-year-old striker for Morrocco U23 and recommended Rangers to go ahead with his transfer.
“I brought Hamza to the U23s. Philippe had also contacted me before Rangers picked him up from Rabat last summer. I warmly recommended Hamza,” he added.
