BREAKING NEWS: SPL vote against Rangers newco

Rangers have been kicked out of next season’s Scottish Premier League after rival clubs voted “overwhelmingly” to exclude the Glasgow giants.

Earlier today, SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster hinted that the vote could be deferred amid fears over the financial consequences of the Ibrox club starting their new life in the Third Division, however the clubs stood strong and voted to deny Charles Green’s newco entry into the SPL.

The SPL announced the news in a brief statement after more than five hours of talks at Hampden on Wednesday.

An SPL statement read: “At today’s General Meeting, SPL clubs today voted overwhelmingly to reject the application from Rangers newco to join the SPL.”

The decision caps a humiliating fall from grace for the most successful club in Scottish football, who entered administration earlier this year following a tax dispute.

The Ibrox club are now set for demotion to the Scottish Football League, but it remains unclear in which tier they will ply their trade.

SFL chiefs still need to decide whether they would accept Green’s new club into the Irn-Bru First Division or insert them into the bottom tier.

Warnings have been made in the last few days that up to half the SPL clubs could go into administration if the Ibrox club are in the bottom tier.

It appears that most if not all of the SPL’s commercial contracts include exit clauses for sponsors and partners allowing them to pull out or renegotiate if the Old Firm are not present.

The clauses were inserted amid speculation over the Glasgow pair moving to England or into a European league but they have proved costly after Rangers went into liquidation last month.

A package put to SFL clubs to accept the Ibrox side in the second tier includes moves to merge the leagues, promotion play-offs to the top flight and a £1million payment for television rights.

Before the meeting on Wednesday morning, Doncaster said: “There are probably three options for dealing with Rangers. Rangers coming into the SPL with an appropriate range of sanctions is one option. Rangers going into the second tier is another option.

“The option that a lot of people have talked about, Rangers in the fourth tier, ultimately that would wreak huge financial damage on the whole game and it’s difficult to see why 41 innocent clubs should pay the price for the misdeeds of one.

“So I think there are really two viable options that are in play at the moment.”

It is as yet unclear whether relegated Dunfermline or Dundee, who finished second in the First Division, will replace Rangers in the SPL although the proposal put to SFL clubs states the Dens Park club would be promoted.

Green, whose Sevco firm bought the assets of Rangers for £5.5million, attended the meeting with chairman Malcolm Murray and manager Ally McCoist, who left before noon.

The verdict was announced by email about 2.20pm, with Green and Murray leaving shortly afterwards, while SPL clubs continued to talk.

Green claimed earlier this week he was confident chairmen would listen to his pleas after meeting several clubs to warn them of the financial implications.

Murray issued an “unreserved” apology on Tuesday in a move thought to be designed to pave the way for a U-turn, but St Johnstone, St Mirren, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibernian, Dundee United and Inverness had already declared their opposition while Motherwell announced on Tuesday night their fans had voted to reject the application.