Rangers at loggerheads with SPL over cup-tie money owed to Dundee United

RANGERS and the Scottish Premier League are at odds over money owed to Dundee United.

• Charles Green said on Monday that all debts owed to Scottish clubs had been settled

• Dundee United owed £65,981 for Ibrox fixture

United today revealed they had not received money due from their William Hill Scottish Cup clash at Ibrox in February, days before Rangers went into administration, despite owner Charles Green’s claim that he had settled all debts owed to Scottish clubs.

Rangers believe they have a binding agreement with the SPL that the league would settle the debt, which stands at £31,000, from last season’s prize money.

However, it is understood that the SPL feels the settlement that saw Green’s new company

assume Rangers’ Scottish Football Association membership means the money owed to United must come from Ibrox.

Green said on Monday that all outstanding money owed to Scottish clubs had been paid.

He added: “Furthermore, the club was given a written commitment from the SPL in May that it would settle an outstanding debt to Dundee Utd.”

United were listed as being owed £65,981 when Green submitted his doomed Company Voluntary Arrangement proposal, but more than half of that sum has been paid.

It is believed Rangers were told in a letter on 18 May that the £31,000 would be withheld from the next sum payable by the SPL to the club, following an application by United.

However, Rangers were consigned to liquidation the following month and Green’s company bought their assets and business before his application to join the SPL was rejected.

A five-way agreement was reached on 27 July for Green’s company to assume Rangers’ SFA membership following protracted talks.

This was signed off by the SFA, SPL, Scottish Football League, Green and the original Rangers company, which remains in administration ahead of their liquidation.

Green agreed to take on the club’s football debts, which stood at more than £3 million, and waive any claim to the prize money for the club’s 2011-12 campaign.

Rangers finished second in their final season in SPL and would have been entitled to 15 per cent of the income, which would have been about £2.5m. But while Green feels the £31,000 should come out of that sum, the SPL believes the five-way agreement superseded any previous deal made with Rangers’ administrators.

The SFA could be called in to arbitrate on the matter as United await their payment.

A statement from the Tannadice club released today read: “Following recent press reports and consequent follow-up inquiries, Dundee United confirm that the outstanding sums due from the Scottish Cup tie played at Ibrox Stadium last season have still not been paid.

“This matter now rests with the football authorities and no further comment will be made by the club.”

Green spoke out on Monday after Rangers were criticised for signing the likes of Dean Shiels, Ian Black and Francisco Sandaza from SPL outfits while other clubs were owed money.

The CVA offer document showed both Celtic and Inverness were owed about £40,000 and Dunfermline £83,000 while Hearts were awaiting £800,000.

Rangers said they had paid the first instalment of the latter figure, owed for the transfer of Lee Wallace, and would pay the remaining figure when it was due next year.

Rangers owed twice as much to clubs from other countries, much of it to Rapid Vienna. The Austrian side were owed more than £1m for the purchase of Nikica Jelavic in 2010.

More than £1m in total was also owed to clubs including Orebro, Arsenal, Manchester City, St Etienne and Chelsea.

Green tonight clarified the club’s position. In a statement, he said: “As previously stated, Rangers Football Club can confirm it has paid all outstanding debts to Scottish football clubs, in addition to agreeing to waive all claims to unpaid fees accrued last season, as part of the five-party agreement which was a condition of SFA membership.

“A letter from the SPL to the club – dated 18 May 2012 – stated ‘The Board decided to accede to the application of Dundee Utd and accordingly, the sum will be withheld from the next sum payable by the SPL Limited to Rangers and the sum will be paid by the SPL Limited to Dundee Utd’.

“Why the SPL have not paid Dundee Utd the outstanding sum as previously agreed is a question that they need to answer. We wrote to Dundee Utd on Monday explaining the SPL had previously confirmed they would pay it.

“I spoke to (SFA chief executive) Stewart Regan and his solicitor this morning and provided them with copies of all relevant documentation.”