Rangers could spark ‘nuclear’ SPFL option over cinch sponsorship settlement
The settlement to allow Rangers to continue pocketing money from the SPFL’s cinch sponsorship deal could cause “huge” ramifications, according to the Daily Record.
The Light Blues were embroiled in a row with the Scottish officials over the car firm’s sponsorship of the leagues due to Douglas Park’s own car firm being direct rivals with cinch.
Both Hearts and Aberdeen have asked for urgent clarification as to whether the settlement which allows the Bears to keep taking their share of the deal is going to have financial consequences for their club.
Rangers did call for an immediate meeting between all 12 clubs in the Premiership and Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the league, but no date has been set for those talks.
“The whole revenue structure of the game in this country could be at stake if Rangers were effectively to opt out and go it alone, one club boss told the Daily Record.
“That’s the kind of nuclear option that most of the other top-flight clubs are anxious to avoid and that’s why these talks are so significant.
“It’s already a bad situation because enormous damage is being done to the reputation of the Scottish game. It’s hard enough to attract sponsorship money in the current climate but seeing Rangers and the SPFL roll around in the mud is helping no one.”
Stuck
There won’t be many people envious of Doncaster and the rest of the SPFL who have to make this decision one way or another because they’ve got themselves in a right pickle.
You can see why some of the smaller clubs in the Premiership are concerned because we already get more sponsorship and prize money than any side other than perhaps Celtic and this only adds to the problems for the rest.
They will be saying that we shouldn’t be able to benefit from the same deal as they are while not having the respective branding anywhere around Ibrox or on the club’s kit.
But we have a valid reason why we can’t do that due to Park’s own company and he may be in breach of regulations if his club is seen showcasing a direct rival.
Some kind of decision has to be reached soon because the last thing the SPFL needs is this controversy hanging over them when the 2022-23 campaign begins in July.
In other Rangers news, one of the Gers’ most impressive teenagers is getting the attention of Giovanni van Bronckhorst with his commitment to pre-season training.