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Rangers FC Scottish Premier League

Rangers FC administration will be a 'massive blow' to the Scottish Premier League brand, states marketer

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By Stephen Lepitak, -

February 13, 2012 | 3 min read

The administration of Rangers FC today will be a ‘massive blow’ to the credibility of the Scottish Premier League (SPL) as a whole, one Scottish marketer has said.

Guy Robertson, managing director of Guy Robertson Advertising, and former IPA Scotland president, who held the advertising account of Rangers FC for many years, has said that the administration of the club will impact negatively upon the whole of Scottish football in terms of its image and broadcasting deals.

“There’s no doubt that not only is this a massive blow to Rangers and their fans, it’s also a massive blow to the credibility of the SPL,” stated Robertson. “It seems that there are no barriers to ownerships of a football club and it seems that it represented down in England as well, and it is reflecting badly upon these leagues.”

The administration of Rangers, which is currently facing a legal case against HMRC, and could see it pay around £49m should the club be found liable, will also see the club automatically deducted 10-points, although it will still remain in second position in the league, albeit 14-points behind Glasgow rivals Rangers.

“I can’t see how in the long-run this will be good for Celtic either,” continued Robertson. “It maybe guarantee them the league this season, however Rangers will still be second, so the other clubs will not benefit either because Rangers will have less travelling fans, the other clubs will have less income through the reduced travelling support and the reduced share of the takings at Ibrox, where attendance will also fall. This will reverberate throughout all of Scottish Football.”

As for the television deals with BSkyB and the BBC that are both in place, Robertson also felt that future deals would likely see less money paid in future.

“TV deals will also be impacted. TV deals depend on the audiences you can deliver and if less people are interested in watching Rangers and if people are turned off by the SPL as its value and credibility spirals downhill, then there’s less money being pumped into it.”

Meanwhile, The Drum understands that a partnership agreement between the club and STV, which was the first broadcaster to break the news of the administration, will have no impact on the broadcaster.

An STV spokesperson told The Drum: "STV has no commercial arrangements with Rangers Football Club. There are no implications for our business as a result of today’s announcement regarding the club."

Rangers FC Scottish Premier League

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