Rangers: Scottish clubs in fear of fallout from SPFL’s latest ‘explosive’ row with Ibrox as club ostracised again
Scottish clubs fear the financial cost of the latest “explosive” row between Rangers and the Scottish Premiership, Mail+ reports.
Following a previous dispute which saw the Light Blues refuse to participate in the league’s sponsorship deal with car dealer cinch on the basis that club owner Douglas Park owns competitor Park’s Motor Group, a new contract was drawn up excluding Ibrox.
The club believe the document excuses them from involvement in any league sponsorship deals before 2026 when the cinch deal expires, while the league feels it only applies to the cinch deal.
Rangers have reportedly warned the league they are under no obligation to comply with a proposed deal with Loch Lomond Group, makers of Glen’s Vodka.
The deal it is set to replace ends following this season, leaving the rest of the period fearing the financial cost of a sap without a sponsor in place with the Gers and the league once again locked in dispute.
Stewart Robertson has apparently warned the other clubs of the souring legal costs in the dispute which the league reportedly feel they have gone by the book, with a source apparently telling Mail+ that this row could become “nuclear”.
Ostracised
There were fears that the dual interpretations of the new resolution would lead to this problem in future back when it was drafted in the summer [The Athletic, 16 June], and it appears to have gone exactly as warned.
Both sides are viewing it as supporting their own position so it has only kicked the previous dispute down the road, and probably heightened it as old resentments come back to the surface.
It isn’t helpful at all to the Light Blues because they will only be further cut adrift from the rest of Scotland’s football clubs, who will increasingly see the Bears as an issue who causes them their own problems, and therefore will make decisions without input from Ibrox.
It is yet another off pitch distraction that is not helpful for a club looking to remain fully focused on improving enough to bring themselves back level to compete regularly with Celtic.
And if legal fees are pushing higher and higher than presumably the need to win the case becomes ever greater by the day, as a loss that sees the club lumbered with both sides’ costs is bound to cause a direct affect on the club in the transfer market.
The window is already set to require creativity with a major rebuild on the cards and not enough cash available to go out and do it outright, so if this dispute goes south it could be a considerable problem for MIchael Beale’s long-term plans.
In other Rangers news, a “very senior” former Ibrox man has been tipped to get the Bears land a game-changing target.