Rangers administration: David Taylor rules out European favours for club

UEFA Events chief executive David Taylor says there is no chance of Rangers being given special dispensation to play in Europe next season.

Former Scottish Football Association chief executive Taylor insisted there would be no extension granted to the 31 March cut-off for securing a licence to take part in European competition.

Rangers’ administrators admitted on Wednesday there was “no realistic prospect” of the extinction-threatened club meeting the deadline but vowed to appeal to the SFA, who use Uefa rules to determine whether licences are issued.

Taylor said yesterday: “I note what they say about European qualification next season. From Uefa’s point of view, there are certain deadlines that have to be met and, if they’re not met, they will not be playing in Europe. They have to make the deadline. There will be no extensions.”

It is understood there can be no special dispensation if the required financial criteria, stipulated by Uefa, are not met. Next term will, therefore, almost certainly be the first time Rangers have not played in Europe since the 1980-81 season.

Taylor added: “I suspect that’s not even the major problem they’re facing at the moment. Their problems are a bit more fundamental than that and I can only wish that somehow they can get themselves through this.”

Rangers went into administration on 14 February over an unpaid tax bill of £9 million accrued during the tenure of current owner and chairman Craig Whyte, who bought the club last May. The fallout from the club’s problems shows no sign of abating. Taylor said: “It’s difficult to follow because there are revelations and statements every day from such a number of different parties. It’s a great shame that such a major football club and a major Scottish institution is in such disarray at the moment.”

Asked how catastrophic it would be were Rangers to go bust, Taylor added: “They’re a big club in Europe, not just in Scotland. They were in the Uefa Cup final in 2008. There were probably too many supporters that came down to Manchester. It was overrun. A club that has that massive level of support shouldn’t be in the financial position that it’s in just now.”