THE SFA are still hopeful that a merger between the SPL and SFL could take place in time for next season, a structure which could see newco Rangers take a place in the first division.
Broad agreement has been reached between all three organisations around five key principles, with the catalyst for restructuring likely to be the liquidation of oldco Rangers last Thursday. The power to decide the fate of the newco Ibrox club still resides with the 11 other SPL chairmen at a meeting likely to take place on or around July 2 (Duff and Phelps will cast the vote on behalf of Rangers), but with chairmen thought to be increasingly hardline over voting them back into the top flight, and the SFA still having to endorse any application for membership, a compromise has been floated whereby newco Rangers would avoid having to climb back up from the bottom tier of the Scottish game. Further talks between all parties are set to take place in the next seven days.
Such an outcome, it is hoped, would appease fans of Scotland's other top-flight clubs, and alleviate the need for too much redrawing of the new £80 million TV deal which is set to kick in next season. It was reported during the week that SkySports would be prepared to endure a year without Rangers in the top flight, while screening matches of the newco Rangers and others in the first division/SPL2 could provide a mechanism to allow more finance to drip down to the second tier of the Scottish game, a long-held ideal of the SPL.
Discussions on this subject have been ongoing in the SFA's professional game board for more than a year now, although it is thought there is no agreement as yet on alterations to the size of leagues. The three organisations have an agreement that the league must provide promotion-relegation, a more equitable distribution of wealth, play-offs, change to the voting structure and a desire to go to a full-blown pyramid structure eventually.
In all likelihood, such a scenario would result in Dundee taking the place in the top flight vacated by oldco Rangers – the fixtures released tomorrow will include club X – although Dunfermline chairman Bill Hodgins was quoted yesterday as saying the relegated Fife club would also apply for membership of the top-tier in the event that newco Rangers are not re-admitted. "I don't see any reason why it couldn't happen in time for next season," one source close to the discussions said last night. "It is our hope that the liquidation of a club shouldn't be in vain."
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