Dundee seek legal advice as new twist emerges after Rangers fiasco
Dundee are seeking legal advice after being slapped with a £186,000 fine due to issues with their Dens Park pitch forcing the postponements of multiple matches – including twice against Rangers, according to the Scottish Daily Mail.
The report on the back page and page 79 on 19 April reveals that, following five charges to do with their playing surface becoming waterlogged, Dundee were served a suspended £186,000 fine, £120,000 of which is suspended until the club commit a similar offence.
Dundee are unhappy with the size of the sanction and are set to seek legal advice pending a possible appeal.
The report states: “Dundee were last night seeking legal advice after they were hammered by the SPFL over the condition of their Dens Park pitch.
“A disciplinary hearing heard Dundee admit five separate charges relating to their waterlogged playing surface after the postponement of games in October, December, January, March and earlier this month – the latter two involving their match against Rangers that was finally played this week.
“Fined £186,000 in total, £120,000 of the cash is suspended until the end of the season and will only be paid in the event of any further games falling foul of the weather.
“In effect, Dundee were fined £66,000 – back in 2010. Motherwell were fined £50,000 for the same offence, although £45,000 of that amount was also suspended.
“An SPFL spokesperson commented: ‘SPFL rules on pitch condition are an integral part of maintaining a fair league competition’.
“In response, Dundee claimed they were ‘deeply disappointed’ with the size of the penalty and promised to seek legal advice before deciding on a possible appeal to the SFA.
“Privately, senior figures within the SPFL believe the punishment – handed down by a disciplinary panel – was lenient and expected a bigger sanction.”
Were Rangers adversely affected by the postponements against Dundee?
Rangers head coach Philippe Clement repeatedly voiced his frustrations with the situation regarding the game against Dundee.
In the instance of the first postponement, the game on Sunday, 24 March was called off on the Thursday before – with Clement unhappy about the short notice of the decision.
The second postponement, however, was at far shorter notice, with no decision made until the day of the game itself, with Rangers travelling to Dundee and being told the game would go ahead after a pitch inspection by referee Don Robertson in the morning, only for a follow-up inspection that afternoon to result in the pitch being once again deemed unplayable.
The game, when it was finally played, came against the backdrop of a dip in form for the Gers, who had drawn 3-3 with Celtic at Ibrox Stadium before a shock 3-2 loss against Ross County three days before their clash with Dundee, which resulted in a 0-0 draw that significantly damaged their title prospects.
Dundee may be “deeply disappointed” with their fine – but Rangers will be equally frustrated at the disruption it caused in their season.
In other Rangers news, a John Lundstram contract update has emerged with his deal set to expire at the end of the season.
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