Crisis-hit Rangers left off Scottish fixture list
Reuters - Monday 18 June 2012, 10:12
Rangers were left off next
season's fixture list on Monday pending a decision on whether to
readmit the 54-times champions to the Scottish Premier League
(SPL) after their parent company went into liquidation.
On another traumatic day for the club, Rangers were also
told they face disciplinary charges relating to allegations they
made unauthorised payments to players outside of their
contracts.
Rangers were replaced by an anonymous "Club 12" when the
fixtures for 2012-13 were published. The season kicks off on the
first weekend in August when Kilmarnock host "Club 12".
The 12 SPL clubs will meet on July 4 to vote on whether to
allow the Glasgow club to retain their place in the top tier of
Scottish football.
Rangers, who get a vote themselves, will need the backing of
seven other clubs to avoid having to play in a lower league.
However, that vote will not be the end of their woes. The
SPL said there was a case to answer regarding the way the club
has paid its players in the past.
"Disciplinary charges will be brought when the future status
of Rangers FC is clarified and prior to the start of season
2012/13," the SPL said in a statement.
"OLD FIRM" DISBANDED?
The often bitter rivalry between Rangers and Glasgow rivals
Celtic dominates Scottish football and it is hard to imagine the
league without one half of "The Old Firm" duo.
Rangers went into administration in February over nine million
pounds in unpaid taxes and the parent company
was consigned to administration last week when the tax
authorities refused to accept a settlement.
Rangers also face a much larger tax bill relating to the way
they paid their players over the past decade, using "Employee
Benefit Trusts".
A consortium led by English businessman Charles Green
completed a takeover of the 140-year-old club last Thursday but
its efforts to relaunch the club are being overshadowed by the
fallout from previous mismanagement.
If ejected from the SPL, Rangers could have to start on the
comeback trail in the Scottish Third Division, the lowest level
in the national game in Scotland.
Were Rangers to be relegated, their SPL place would go to
either Dunfermline or Dundee. Dunfermline finished bottom of the
SPL last season, while Dundee were runners-up in the First
Division.