RANGERS plan to play the national anthem prior to their Champions League clash with Napoli on Wednesday night.

The Ibrox side have confirmed that the crowd will sing the anthem in memory of Queen Elizabeth II.

Rangers will play their first match since the sad passing of Her Majesty tomorrow against the Serie A giants.

A minutes' silence will take place, as per UEFA instructions.

Afterwards, before the 8pm kick-off, Rangers say the national anthem will be played.

This has led to several reports stating that Rangers would be defying UEFA rules should they do so.

So what do the governing body's rules entail?

In the regulations of the UEFA Champions League, under Article 42, match protocols are explained. 

Sub-section 42.03 addresses the issue of national anthems. It is clear that they are not permitted.

It states: "As from the play-offs, the walk-on music provided by UEFA must be played from when the players emerge from the players' tunnel until they have lined up, at which point the UEFA Champions League anthem provided by UEFA must be played. National anthems may not be played."

Therefore, techincally, if Rangers do play the British national anthem prior to the game, they would be in breach of UEFA's rules. 

However, as stated in our previous piece, UEFA will not be playing their famous Champions League song before games involving teams from the UK as part of their process to mark respect for the late Monarch. This was observed at Anfield on Tuesday night for Liverpool vs Ajax.

It remains unclear at this time whether a discrepancy could be in place for British sides on this occasion. 

We have contacted UEFA for comment.