Sponsorship stand-off is making SPFL look more like a pub league
Fears Rangers’ row will cost clubs and deter backers
The SPFL is being make to look like “a pub league” as the stand-off between the SPFL and Rangers over the flagship sponsors rumbles on, according to senior sources at other clubs.
One director at a top-flight club voiced deepening concern yesterday after the dispute – which has seen the Ibrox club refuse to comply with the fiveyear, £8m deal with second-hand car dealership, cinch – was referred to the SFA.
He voiced fears that cinch could walk away in frustration, costing clubs up to £500,000 each, while deterring
any future sponsors from coming on board
Rangers say they are legally within their rights not to promote cinch because of a clash with a pre-existing sponsorship contract and insist their concerns were lodged with the SPFL before the cinch deal was sealed.
The director said that claim has to be properly examined by the SFA but warned the standoff needs to be resolved quickly or the league’s reputation will suffer.
He said: “In-fighting like this doesn’t reflect well on anyone. We’d gone a year without a sponsor, and this could make us unsponsorable. We need to get to the bottom of this.”
Rangers’ refusal to promote the sponsors of the SPFL could cost clubs £500,000 each and makes the Scottish set-up “look like a pub league,” one top-flight club director warned yesterday.
He said the Ibrox club’s insistence they are not legally obliged to promote the league’s new sponsors, online used-car dealers cinch, could end the company’s involvement and deter any future sponsor.
The top-flight director claims that, once the dispute has been settled, either SPFL chief executive, Neil Doncaster, will be considering his position or the SFA will require to take sanctions against the Ibrox club for bringing the game into disrepute.
The legal wrangling between the pair has been referred to the SFA by the SPFL, and the ruling body must now decide whether Rangers are in breach of contract for not promoting the new deal. To date, the Ibrox club has refused to promote cinch on advertising around their stadium, logos on players’ jerseys or media backdrops.
Rangers believe Doncaster is to blame for signing a contract he knew they would be unable to fulfil. The Ibrox club has – in line with SPFL Rule 17 – stated that a pre-existing deal with chairman Douglas Park’s own car company – which also deals in second-hand vehicles as part of its portfolio – means they don’t have to comply with the terms of the five-year, £8m agreement.
They say Doncaster was told this before the deal was finalised. SPFL chairman, Murdoch Maclennan wrote to all clubs on August 2, saying: It is very disappointing that one of our clubs has not felt able to deliver inventory to cinch.”
Two days later, Rangers managing director, Stewart Robertson, contacted the clubs, stating: “For the avoidance of doubt, Rangers continues to comply with the rules of the SPFL.”
The SFA will sit in judgement of the case, while Scotland’s other 41 senior clubs fear cinch could simply tear up the contract in frustration.
The Premiership director, who did not want to be named, insists each top-12 club will lose over £500,000 if cinch walk away, and his concern is that the feud has made the SPFL “look like a pub league”.
He added: “It would be an extremely sore one for most of us if cinch tear up the contract, which is why we need to get to the bottom of this quickly.
“Rangers have to prove that they were told by Neil Doncaster exactly what would be required of them – and that they also told him they couldn’t fulfil their part of it – before he put pen to paper on everyone’s behalf.
“They need to show their existing contract, which they claim prevents them from complying with the new sponsors, even if it has to be redacted to protect commercial confidentiality.
“They also need to prove that they notified Neil of this at the time, and what he said to them in return.
“If he was informed of these issues, and went ahead with the deal, then the potential loss of that £8m deal will be on Neil’s head – and that would leave him in serious trouble.
“Otherwise, the SFA will surely have no alternative but to charge Rangers with bringing the game into disrepute, and then hammer them with sanctions.
“In-fighting like this doesn’t reflect well on anyone. We’d gone without a sponsor, and this could make our league unsponsorable.
“It doesn’t help when your champions refuse to co-operate with sponsors.
“The government has given our clubs a break from our PAYE and NI payments, due to the pandemic. But we’ve started paying them again.
“We’re also now starting to repay the loans we took from Holyrood to help us through this period, so the potential annual loss of a six-figure sum is significant.”