Rangers Plummet to Third Division in Scottish League

Rangers recent troubles have been further compunded today by the decision to place them in the Third Division of the Scottish League following a vote by Scottish Football League chairmen at Hampden on Friday.

The 30 SFL teams were voting on whether Charles Green’s newco Rangers should enter the league and which division they should be placed in.

The Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football Association were hopeful Rangers would be parachuted into the First Division, with SFA chief executive Stewart Regan claiming that putting the Ibrox club into the Third Division would bring financial catastrophe and a “slow, lingering death” of the game.

Twenty-nine of the 30 SFL clubs accepted Rangers as an associate member of the Scottish Football League while 25 clubs voted in favour of placing the newco team into the bottom tier.

SFL chief executive David Longmuir said: “The member clubs of the Scottish Football League have today voted to willingly accept The Rangers Football Club as an associate member of the Scottish Football League.

“Furthermore, the Scottish Football League’s only acceptable position will be to place Rangers FC into the Third Division of the Irn-Bru Scottish Football League from the start of this season.”

Longmuir also stated that he was ‘comfortable’ with the outcome of the vote and that the decision from the SFL clubs was taken with the sport’s best interests at heart.

He said: “I’m comfortable today that the Scottish Football League made a very, very decisive decision that was based on sporting fairness and I think the Scottish Football League were in the right place to make that decision.

“This decision followed a tried-and-tested process and was taken in cognisance with the other options which were available for consideration.

“Today’s decision has been one of the most difficult for all concerned but it has been taken in the best interest of sporting fairness which is the fundamental principle of the Scottish Football League.

“The Scottish Football League has been entirely consistent with our willingness to work with other bodies to ensure that we focus on rebuilding our game, restoring pride in our game and exploring revenue streams and our willingness to achieve these aims does not alter.”