SPFL apologizes to Rangers as longstanding sponsorship dispute resolved

The Scottish Professional Football League has issued an apology to Rangers after the resolution of a long-running sponsorship dispute.

The SPFL reached a deal with car company Cinch in 2021, but Rangers claimed it had jeopardized a prior deal in place with the company of Ibrox chairman Douglas Park, Park's of Hamilton, and n hadn't promoted the deal, getting the right to take the deal. in court.

A statement released by the SPFL reads: "The SPFL regrets any damage to the reputation of Rangers and Park's as a result of the dispute.

"The SPFL accepted that Rangers had a pre-existing contract with Park's at the time the SPFL entered into their title sponsorship deal with cinch in June 2021.

"The three parties have now agreed to withdraw the resulting Scottish FA arbitration, with the SPFL contributing to the costs of Rangers and Park's. These monies will be donated to charity."

SPFL Chairman Murdoch MacLennan said: "We are delighted to have finally put an end to this dispute following discussions between us and Rangers, and we are keen to do everything we can to the lessons of this protracted disagreement.

"I am particularly grateful for the constructive approach shown by all parties to help resolve this long-standing situation and I am very happy to apologize if the reputation of Rangers FC or Park's of Hamilton has been damaged.

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“Going forward, we have also agreed to commission an independent governance review to help ensure that the SPFL can avoid any such disputes in the future. This review will begin in October 2023.

"I am delighted that we have finally settled this matter and I now look forward to working constructively with Rangers and our other 41 clubs at this extremely exciting time for Scottish football as a whole."

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A Rangers spokesperson said: "Rangers acknowledge the apologies of the SPFL and are pleased that this long-standing dispute has been brought to a conclusion.

"In welcoming the independent review of the governance of the SPFL, the club would like to thank for the efforts and patience of those who have brought this to a satisfactory outcome."

It was then announced that the governance subcommittee review would be chaired by SPFL Independent Non-Executive Director Karyn McCluskey and SPFL Audit Committee members James MacDonald of Ross County and Chris McKay of Celtic, with an external auditor to be appointed.

A spokesperson for the SPFL said: "Given the growing scale of the SPFL and its ambitious goals for future growth, the Board of Directors welcomed the opportunity to proceed with a comprehensive and independent governance review, ensuring the league adopts the latest developments in corporate best practice."