By Andrew Warshaw
June 19 – Scottish Premier League (SPL) clubs will vote on Wednesday, July 4 on whether to admit Glasgow giants Rangers into the top flight of domestic football under their new guise.
After building up massive debts, the 42-time Scottish champions were effectively consigned to liquidation last week when creditors formally rejected a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) after tax authorities indicated their unwillingness to agree to the move.
A consortium led by former Sheffield United supreme Charles Green subsequently completed the purchase of the business and assets of Rangers as a so-called “newco” for £5.5 million ($8.6 million/€6.8 million) but the new regime now faces an anxious wait to see which division the new club will be placed in.
When next season’s fixtures for the 12-club SPL were released yesterday morning, Rangers had been replaced with ‘Club 12’ until the situation is clarified.
The 140-year-old club, which will re-emerge with a new name, could have to start again in the third tier of Scottish football.
But this would cause huge logistical problems for many tiny clubs used to playing against a few hundred fans as well as, at the other end of the scale, potential loss of vital television revenue and gate receipts for SPL clubs, with Rangers being such a big-money draw.
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