Longer-ten 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.

For Rangers players and supporters, the immediate punishment is sufficient in a short-term sports sense.

With just 12 games left in the season, the club is now 14 points behind leaders Celtic,

thereby ending their hopes of winning the SPL for a record fourth time.

Rangers now lead third-place Motherwell by just nine points, and they still have a game in hand.

Ally McCoist, the manager, and his team’s top priority going forward will be preserving that second-place result,

which will gain them access into the Champions League qualifying stages the following year.

But whether they are in the top division or not, Rangers’ ability to compete in Europe,

which is so important to their continued financial stability, is in jeopardy.

To acquire the necessary Uefa club licence for the upcoming season from the SFA,

the Ibrox club must submit audited financial statements and emerge from administration by March 31.

Should the administration not go as swiftly and efficiently as owner Craig Whyte has stated he would like it to,

Rangers may face liquidation, which would put Scottish football in even more jeopardy.

The SPL would have to make a significant decision if the existing Rangers Football Club was to be liquidated and Whyte reformed them under a new name to eliminate all of their liabilities.

It would be up to the six-member SPL board, which includes chief executive Neil Doncaster,

chairman Ralph Topping, Celtic director Eric Riley, chairman of St Johnstone Steven Brown,

vice-chairman Derek Weir of Motherwell, and chairman Stephen Thompson of Dundee United,

o decide whether the original Rangers’ 12-club membership would automatically transfer to the “new” Rangers.

The morality of the event raises serious questions, particularly in light of Gretna’s forced relegation to the Scottish Football League’s Third Division after administration and just before their 2008 collapse.

But the understanding of the harm Rangers’ exclusion from the SPL would do to the organization’s overall success would temper any desire to see that they receive just punishment for their financial malfeasance.

Doncaster stated earlier in the season that the broadcaster’s ability to screen four Old Firm games per season is a requirement of the new £80 million broadcasting contract that was reached with Sky Sports.

Rangers and Celtic’s presence is also necessary for other SPL commercial agreements.

Without the Ibrox club, the league’s commercial worth would decrease.

The league is presently looking for a new title sponsor to take the place of departing benefactors Clydesdale Bank for the upcoming season.

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