Rangers fined for fixing price of official merchandise between 2018 and 2019
Rangers have been hit with a six-figure fine after admitting to “acting illegally” and fixing the price of official merchandise, according to The Sun.
The Gers were accused of fixing the price of replica kits and other products between September 2018 and November 2018, and action was brought against the club, JD Sports and Elite Sports.
All parties admitted guilt in the case and total fines of £2m were handed out, with Rangers being hit in the pocket for £225,000 of that amount.
The investigation claimed that Rangers became concerned that JD Sports were selling the replica shirt at a lower price than Elite, which led to “an understanding between the three parties” that JD would increase the price of the Rangers adult short-sleeved home shirt.
The price went up by 10 per cent from £55 to £60, which brought it in line with how much was being charged by Elite through the Gers Online store.
Done and forgotten
It’s not ideal for Rangers that this comes out now in the midst of the the TV scandal when they’re being branded as greedy, but it is what it is.
Rangers did wrong, admitted it, and will now pay their portion of the fine for their part in it. It should be done, dusted and forgotten.
The more concerning thing is that the prices of these items and replica kits seems to be going up every year and the regular fan is being priced out of supporting the club because of it.
There is no need for a replica shirt to be the price it is and it just puts more and more pressure on families to dip into their pocket when the reality is that we don’t need a new kit every year and it certainly doesn’t need to be that expensive.
Hopefully this won’t get blown out of proportion now though and the club can get on with being successful on the pitch, which usually leads to success off it too.
In other Rangers news, the SPFL have changed the rules and moved ahead with the new TV deal without Rangers’ approval