12/21/24
February 14, 2012
Glasgow Rangers Football Club Enter Administration: Winners of 54 Scottish Championships, 60 Scottish cup competitions and a European Cup Winners Cup, Rangers choose to enter administration on their own terms before HMRC could force the club to accept an Administrator of Her Majesty's choosing over tax debts.
They will almost certainly suffer a ten point penalty as a result, effectively handing the Scottish title to main rivals Celtic.
Glasgow clubs Rangers and Celtic dominate Scottish football to the extent that no one else has been crowned the country's champion since Aberdeen in 1984/85. Celtic claim they don't need Rangers despite the threat of the SPL becoming a one horse race.
posted by Mr Bismarck to soccer at 10:35 AM - 9 comments
If you go down to Ibrox today, youre' sure of a big surprise,
If you go down to Ibrox today you'll never believe your eyes
Cos super Ally has no cash
and soon no place to sing the sash
Today's the day the teddy bears had their pitch nicked.
posted by JJ at 10:47 AM on February 14, 2012
... rcade hates foreign currency symbols.
A pound symbol stole my girl in college. He really liked to throw money around.
Use £ for that sort of thing.
posted by rcade at 10:55 AM on February 14, 2012
Last time I had cause to associate the word "pound" with Texas, it was about horticulture, not international currency.
I didn't know you could throw pieces of pink paper with a picture of a stern looking woman in a tiara around in Denton.
posted by beaverboard at 01:01 PM on February 14, 2012
Use £ for that sort of thing.
Wow! that made the funny L happen! What a sterling idea, rcade.
JJ, you are on my $&!% list. I am doomed to have the tune of "Teddy Bears' Picnic" run through my head for the rest of the day.
posted by Howard_T at 01:22 PM on February 14, 2012
As expected, Rangers have been given a ten point deduction.
This puts Celtic 14 points clear at the top.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 02:55 PM on February 14, 2012
But they should still finish second and thus enter Champions League qualifying, which is more important to the club's finances than the SPL title.
posted by etagloh at 06:58 PM on February 14, 2012
This, and Portsmouth. The upcoming UEFA finance rules should also see a few more go to the wall.
Although in The Huns' defence, they appeared to be simply doing what Arsenal did a few years ago. In that case The Revenue objected, and Arsenal paid what they owed. I guess there's no cash lying around at Ibrox.
posted by owlhouse at 12:34 AM on February 15, 2012
Being in Administration may make Rangers ineligible to play in the Champions League. There was an FAQ on BBC Sport yesterday explaining the possibilities. Pretty sad that this would happen to a club that plays in Europe every season.
posted by billsaysthis at 10:30 AM on February 15, 2012
I would have put how much they owed in the OP, but, you know... rcade hates foreign currency symbols.
Right now it's about £49,000,000, but if HMRC had managed to levy penalties for their claim that Rangers misused offshore employee benefit trusts, then it could have risen to as much as £75,000,000.