Longer-term points deduction a possibility for ‘new’ Rangers

THE ten-point deduction swiftly imposed on Rangers by the Scottish Premier League is merely the start of the sanctions and consequences facing the Ibrox club for entering administration.

In a short-term sporting sense, the immediate punishment is painful enough for Rangers players and supporters. It effectively kills off the club’s bid for a fourth successive SPL title, leaving them 14 points behind leaders Celtic with just 12 games of the campaign remaining. Rangers are now only nine points ahead of third-placed Motherwell who have a game in hand. Protecting that second-place finish will be the priority for manager Ally McCoist and his players now, earning as it does entry into the qualifying rounds of the Champions League next season.

But participation in European competition, so crucial to the ongoing finances of Rangers, is under threat regardless of their league position. In order to obtain the required Uefa club licence from the SFA for next season, the Ibrox club will have to produce audited accounts and come out of administration by 31 March.

If the process of administration is not as quick and effective as owner Craig Whyte has expressed his desire to expedite, then the prospect of liquidation could loom large for Rangers and present Scottish football with an even wider crisis. In the event of the current Rangers Football Club being dissolved and Whyte reforming them under an amended name in order to wipe out all of their liabilities, the SPL would have a major decision to make.

The six-man SPL board of chief executive Neil Doncaster, chairman Ralph Topping, Celtic director Eric Riley, St Johnstone chairman Steven Brown, Motherwell vice-chairman Derek Weir and Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson would have the task of ruling on whether the original Rangers’ share in the 12-club organisation would be automatically transferred to the ‘new’ Rangers. There are major concerns over the morality of such an event, especially in light of Gretna’s enforced demotion to the Third Division of the Scottish Football League following administration and shortly prior to their liquidation in 2008.

But any desire to ensure Rangers are suitably punished for their financial mismanagement will be tempered by an appreciation of the damage their absence from the SPL would have on the organisation’s overall prosperity.

Doncaster confirmed earlier this season that the new £80 million television contract agreed with Sky Sports is dependent on the broadcaster having four Old Firm fixtures to screen every season.

Other commercial deals held by the SPL are similarly reliant on the presence of both Celtic and Rangers. The value of the league, which is currently seeking a new title sponsor to replace outgoing backers Clydesdale Bank for next season, would be diminished commercially without the Ibrox club.

Imposing a longer-term points deduction over the course of more than one season is one possible condition the SPL could impose on a new Rangers as part of transferring the share in the league.