Rangers in crosshairs of Neil Doncaster after Sky TV deal announced
SPFL chief Neil Doncaster has taken aim at Rangers after the Sky Sports TV deal they were opposing was announced on Tuesday.
The Light Blues were against the proposed changes to the already agreed broadcasting contract that will now see the UK’s biggest sports broadcaster show 80 Scottish football games per season.
Doncaster spoke to the Daily Record about the deal as a whole and Rangers’ defiance to agree to it which was ultimately in vain as the rest of the SPFL were behind the idea.
“I’m not sure whether it’s personal or not but I was struck by a comment about ‘settling old scores’,” Doncaster said. “I don’t know what the motivation is but my focus remains on serving all 42 clubs.”
“I’m not sure whether it’s personal or not but I was struck by a comment about ‘settling old scores’. I don’t know what the motivation is but my focus remains on serving all 42 clubs.”
Get on with it
Rangers might be one of the biggest clubs in Scotland but if every single club in the top four divisions are all against what they think, there is no way the SPFL will side with them over the vast majority.
Even when things don’t go your way, sometimes you have to accept the decision made and move on from it and that is what has to happen at Ibrox right now.
Stewart Robertson might not like the decision but what alternatives are there? They can expect monumental fines from the SPFL if they stop Sky Sports from broadcasting at their ground and being an exile to the English pyramid isn’t a possibility anytime soon.
The deal is now signed and announced which means that it is in place until 2029 so if the problem is with Robertson more than the club themselves then perhaps it’s time for him to step aside.
Rangers were able to win their dispute last season over the cinch sponsorship of the divisional structure but anyone in football should know that you can’t win every battle and this is one that needs to be surrendered.
In other Rangers news, Heart and Hand were typically quick to react to the news on Twitter and they were not happy at all at the decision.