Rangers takeover: Paulo Sergio is sympathetic

HEARTS manager Paulo Sergio yesterday expressed sympathy for Rangers as their financial plight was compounded this week by a £160,000 fine from the SFA and 12-month signing embargo, preventing them from recruiting new players.

The Portuguese said: “I have a strong feeling that for everything I am reading and seeing on television that Rangers need at this moment all the help that they can get to survive. I believe Scottish football needs a strong Rangers. It’s not up to me to give an opinion on whether the [player signing] ban is fair or not fair but I believe that it doesn’t help. It makes the job of everybody very difficult.”

Sergio also expressed concern at reports that Rangers might consider starting life again in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. “If you are starting taking these kinds of decisions then probably one of these days we won’t have an SPL,” said Sergio.

“If you send a club [down] and if you don’t protect the clubs sometimes maybe the SPL will disappear. We have to be careful with some of the decisions.”