Rangers have responded to the comments of SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan by claiming that the SPFL misled member clubs over the payments of prize money.
MacLennan sent an email to all 42 Member Clubs this afternoon claiming that Dundee cancelled their vote before it arrived at Hampden and that prize money cannot be paid out until the season is cancelled.
Rangers have now bitten back by suggesting this information is misleading after SPFL legal advisor Rod McKenzie told them the body has the power to release loans.
“A spokesman for Rangers advised that Rangers Company secretary, James Blair, has had several email exchanges with the SPFL legal adviser, Rod McKenzie,” reads a Rangers statement, released to members of the media on Easter Sunday.
“Remarkably, we have learned from an email received from Mr McKenzie that our proposed resolution is deemed unnecessary because the SPFL board already has the authority to provide loans to member clubs which can be exercised by the SPFL at any time.
“The Inverness CEO, Scot Gardiner, confirmed on national radio yesterday that SPFL representatives made it clear on several conference calls that it was necessary to approve the SPFL resolution in order to release funds which would relieve the financial hardship being experienced by many clubs.
“Member clubs will be shocked to learn this is not the case and any club facing short term financial difficulties should request a loan from the SPFL immediately.
“Our resolution was never intended to release end of season fee payments but instead to provide loans as an advance on such payments. It is now apparent that this is already within the power of the SPFL.
“This provides further evidence that an independent investigation is urgently required.”
Rangers’ Members Resolution was designed to give clubs more time to consider the SPFL proposals on ending the season by giving them access to prize money early.
However this was knocked back by the SPFL whom Rangers would accuse of bullying and coercing teams into voting for the proposal [Rangers].
The Ibrox club would also suggest that the SPFL had been delaying assisting Rangers with drafting a final proposal which could be put to member clubs.
Rangers’ comments come after the SPFL sent an email to member clubs saying they can’t hand out prize money until the season is called.
“It has been suggested that it is open to the SPFL Board to distribute end-of-season fee payments to clubs now, in the absence of league placings being finalised,” said MacLennan [Scottish Sun].
“That is simply not the case.
“For the Board to be able to authorise end-of-season fee payments to clubs (amounting to £9.3million gross), final league placings must be determined.”
The SPFL have also claimed that “one Ladbrokes Championship club” (believed to be Dundee) sent their no vote, but it was not received until after a second email had come in cancelling it.
Rangers’ claims also come after an earlier SPFL statement threatened that member clubs faced “further weeks, and possibly months, of uncertainty and financial hardship” if they didn’t support the proposal.
The Ibrox club have called for the suspension of SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster and legal advisor Rod McKenzie alongside an independent investigation as a result of the situation [Rangers].