Rangers statement: Scottish football directed by those intent on harming it

Rangers have hit back at the SFA after it emerged that the Ibrox club had been charged by the governing body over their application for a Uefa licence prior to the 2011/12 season.

The club released a statement saying the investigation had been “a waste of all parties’ time and resources” and that certain individuals driving Scottish football are “intent on harming the Scottish game”.

They have described the notice of complaint as a “reconstructed” version of a previous notice relating to a submission by the club in March 2011 prior to receiving their Uefa licence for the following campaign.

Rangers have released a statement in response to the SFA. Picture: John Devlin

They criticise the SFA for bringing two charges against the club for issues “relating to the monitoring period” before the licence was granted.

Rangers have told their fans they intend to “fiercely resists” the latest notice.

The statement in full reads: “The Rangers Football Club (“the Club”) was informed today by the Scottish FA (“SFA”) that, after an eight-and-a-half month investigation, the SFA will not be proceeding with a Notice of Complaint in respect of the submission made by the Club to the SFA at the end of March 2011 with regard to the issue of the Club’s UEFA licence for the following Season.

“The Club is unsurprised that it has now finally been accepted by the SFA that the accusations made against the Club were groundless. The Club questions whether the time, cost and expense of this investigation was justified and was a good use of the SFA’s limited resources.

“Disappointingly, and presumably rather than accept that the investigation was a waste of all parties’ time and resources, the Club has been served with a new revised Notice of Complaint relating to the monitoring period subsequent to the grant of the UEFA licence. This new Notice of Complaint neglects to properly capture the provisions of prior agreements made between the Club and the SFA.

“The Club will fiercely resist this reconstructed Notice of Complaint. Unfortunately, monies that should be available to Scottish youth and grassroots football will be diverted into another rehearsal of seven-year-old debates on the rights and wrongs of events that the SFA should have prevented at a time when doing so would have served a useful purpose.

“It seems that Scottish Football is, once again, being directed by individuals intent on harming the Scottish game, Rangers Football Club and its supporters by pursuing a course that has no sensible purpose or reasonable prospect of success.”