By Andrew Warshaw
July 16 – Dundee, who finished runners-up in the Scottish First Division last season, seem certain to replace ailing Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers in the Scottish Premier League (SPL) next term.
A formal invitation was sent out today to Dundee (pictured top), scuppering the hopes of Dunfermline who had hoped to be selected as Rangers’ replacement after being relegated from the SPL in May.
Debt-ridden Rangers, the most successful club in Scottish history who have just been revamped as a new company, were last week consigned to the lowest tier in the domestic game, leaving a space in the 12-team SPL.
“We were always confident that, on sporting merit, it would be us,” said Scot Gardiner (pictured below, centre), chief executive of Dundee, who finished 24 points behind champions Ross County but whose case for an SPL spot was favoured over that of Dunfermline.
SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster said the decision had been taken “purely on sporting integrity” and that Dundee were the “overwhelming” choice of the other clubs despite themselves being in administration two years ago.
Doncaster and his Scottish Football Association (SFA) counterpart Stewart Regan have both warned about the potential loss of significant revenues should Rangers be placed in Division Three, facing a minimum of three seasons outside the top flight.
Regan vowed earlier this month that he could not allow the game to suffer a “slow, lingering death” if the club were forced to start life again in the Third Division.
But any intervention now would be difficult to force through given that 25 of the 30 SPL clubs backed the move.
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