Rangers v SPFL: SFA will not step in and say duo need to sort it out themselves

The Scottish Football Associations insist they will not step into the ongoing row between Rangers and the SPFL over a sponsorship deal.

Rangers and the SPFL have clashed over the league's cinch sponsorship deal.

SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell has told the warring parties they now need to sort the issue out between themselves.

The league body recently announced they had renegotiated the terms of the main title deal with online car dealership cinch after Rangers refused to display the firm’s branding on their shirts or at their stadium.

The Ibrox club said the deal compromised their own existing relationship with Park’s of Hamilton Motor Group, owned by Rangers chairman Donald Park, and they were acting within SPFL rules in their refusal to advertise cinch. The conflict between the various organisations was referred to arbitration last year.

Rangers say the renegotiated deal “vindicated” their stance. Park’s of Hamilton released a statement earlier this month calling for an independent SFA inquiry into the matter. However, Maxwell has stressed they would only get involved if there was an alleged breach of regulations.

“Arbitration is closed,” said Maxwell. “The SPFL have written to us to say it was their arbitration, they instigated it and they have withdrawn their notice. So the arbitration as far as we are concerned is over.

“The arbitration has been dealt with. In terms of Rangers and the SPFL, if they have a misunderstanding or there’s a complication around the rules or there’s a question mark around how they should be interpreting the rules then that’s actually for them to sort out amongst themselves.

“The SPFL can set up their own independent inquiry to go and look at that and make sure everyone understands exactly how the regulations work going forward. I don’t think that’s something for us.

“The simplest way I can define this is that it is a debate that happens in our house,” he added. “We just get one party to talk to the other party and they sort it out between themselves.

“We are not actually involved in a meaningful way. It is just we organise a process and make sure things happen the right way and try and find a resolution.”