Disgraced Ferguson and McGregor banned for life by Scotland, suspended for two weeks by Rangers and set to be sold in summer

BARRY Ferguson and Allan McGregor will not play for Rangers or Scotland again after the Ibrox club took swift and punitive action against the players for their conduct while on international duty this week, finally prompting the SFA to do the same.

They were both sent home from training by Rangers manager Walter Smith yesterday morning with Ferguson having been informed he was being stripped of the club captaincy with immediate effect.

The midfielder returned to the club's Murray Park training ground with goalkeeper McGregor for an afternoon meeting with Rangers chief executive Martin Bain where it was decided they would be suspended without pay for two weeks, the maximum sanction permitted under the guidelines governing players' conduct.

At the same time Rangers issued a statement detailing the punishment, the SFA announced that both Ferguson and McGregor would no longer be considered for international selection.

The decisive action taken by Rangers manager Smith was in stark contrast to the earlier pronouncements of the SFA on the matter, with manager George Burley and chief executive Gordon Smith having initially claimed the matter was closed.

"In light of the events of the past 48 hours and following further discussions between the manager and chief executive," said an SFA spokesman, "it has been decided that Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor will no longer be considered for international selection by Scotland. This action has been taken in the best interest of the squad, the fans and the country."

It is also understood that both players will not be selected for first-team action again by Rangers when they return from their suspensions. The club will seek to offload Ferguson and McGregor in the summer.

While their involvement in a lengthy drinking session at the Scotland squad hotel last Sunday morning, on their return from the 3-0 World Cup defeat in the Netherlands, saw them dropped by Burley for Wednesday's match against Iceland at Hampden, it was their conduct on the substitutes' bench during the 2-1 win which prompted Walter Smith's intervention.

The Rangers manager was incensed when he saw photographs of Ferguson and McGregor making offensive V-signs. This was despite Smith having contacted both players earlier on Wednesday to tell them to accept their punishment from Scotland and keep a low profile until their return to the club.

"The drinking session in itself was wrong," said Smith. "They are not the first group of Scottish players to do that and it is disappointing that they did do that. But what was more disappointing for me was the subsequent reaction when they were on the bench. I don't think that reflected well on either of them at all and it certainly didn't reflect well on the club.

"I'm disappointed that we are having to take the action we are taking. We don't want to do it, but we have to react to a situation that the club has been put in, in the sense that it is an embarrassment to the club."

Both players issued statements apologising for their conduct and expressing their regret that their international careers are over. Ferguson, whose Rangers contract expires in 2010, may attract attention from Zenit St Petersburg, whose manager Dick Advocaat has expressed his interest in being re-united with his former Ibrox captain.

McGregor is under contract until 2013 and has been monitored by several English clubs.