Doncaster caves in as SPFL back down over cinch sponsorship row
Soccer Football - Scottish Cup Final - Celtic vs Motherwell - Hampden Park, Glasgow, Britain - May 19, 2018 Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell (2nd L) and Independent non-executive director Dermot Desmond (C) in the stand Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
The SPFL have caved in to the Tribute Act over the cinch sponsorship deal.
After agreeing a five year sponsorship deal that would see each club wear the cinch logo on their shirt and provide trackside and backing board advertising the Ibrox club decided that they wouldn’t participate.
In typical fashion Neil Doncaster opted against enforcing the rules which would have resulted in fines and other sanctions for the Ibrox side.
The cinch deal was basically aimed at the two Glasgow clubs, getting shirt presence and trackside advertising would have been the driver for the deal, especially with four Glasgow derbies televised live by Sky Sports.
While Celtic and others complied with the deal it was ignored by Douglas Park, now a revised sponsorship deal has been agreed with the Ibrox club freed from obligations allowing them to put additional sponsors on their kit.
Neil Doncaster told the SPFL website:
Under the terms of the revised cinch contract, Rangers are no longer required to participate by providing the sponsorship inventory that they have so far not provided, whilst, crucially, the overall income to Scottish football is expected to remain materially unchanged over the original five-year term of the sponsorship. This revised package has now been approved by cinch Premiership Clubs.
It’s extremely good news that we have been able to work with our partners at cinch to develop an updated sponsorship package which delivers the same level of financial support to Scottish football, whilst providing additional SPFL media assets to cinch to compensate for loss of Rangers related rights. It is testament to the strength of our relationship with cinch, and the high value they place on it, that they have agreed to move forward with us on this basis.
This deal gives us further confidence that we will exceed our budget and deliver fees to clubs of more than £27.5m for Season 2021/22.
Doncaster also negotiated the Five Way Agreement of 2012 which gives the Ibrox club a separate set of rules to the other clubs in the SPFL.