Rangers have beaten HMRC to the appointment of the administrator for the financially crippled football club.
Craig Whyte applied to appoint an administrator yesterday but that was challenged by HMRC who applied to appoint their own administrator to protect fresh bills from the current tax year.
After a dramatic day of activity at the Court of Session in Edinburgh Lord Menzies ruled that the club could appoint Manchester-based firm Duff and Phelps as administrators.
That decision kills stone dead any prospect that the club will be able to come to a settlement with HMRC over debts believed to be in the region of £75m.
With the club now in administration the SPL will apply a 10 point penalty to Ally McCoist’s side leaving them trailing Celtic by 14 points with a dozen games scheduled to be played.
Major doubts now hang over Saturday’s home match with Kilmarnock.
It’s unlikely that the SPL will apply any further sanctions but with full payment unlikely Strathclyde Police could call the game off.
A spokeswoman for the force said: “Strathclyde Police is a public body and has a duty to make sure public resources are used appropriately. We are seeking an urgent meeting with the administrators to ensure that any payment for policing costs at future Rangers games is guaranteed.
“Until we have such a guarantee we would not be in a position to commit public resources to policing an event unless we had a reassurance that our costs would be met.”
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Do you really need to police an empty stadium?
PMSL, nice one. The only ones who’ll go will be the season ticket holders (talk about a waste of money)it’s next season we’ll see how loyal they really are. Bring on the 25th of March that’ll be a trip to Ibrokes that’ll atleast equal pre-Saville
This is wrong. Rangers now have the ability to pay pennies in the pound to those they owe, while all other clubs in Scotland have to pay in full. Whats wrong with this picture?
What IF Rangers cannae pay the police, therefore cannot play any home matches? Is it likely that the SPL will apply anymore penalties?
Whats the point of a team being in the SPL if they can’t play their home games?
Too funny!
HH.
Unlikely to happen. They will get all the help every other club hasn’t for years.
For the good of Scottish football we NEED a strong Rangers! They are exempt from relegation and exempt from having a weak team. The Scottish media says so, so it must be right.
I’m curious why lord Menzies has allowed re-arrangers to decide who the administrators will be? You would have thought when the major creditor is Her Majesty the Queen’s revenue service and collector of taxes, the same monarch’s law lords would come down on her employee’s side?
Is there any point in speculating on the preferred football allegiance of said lord?