Kieran Maguire: Rangers fans will be ‘incensed’ as £11m legal payout on cards
Rangers supporters are justifiably “incensed” that off-pitch matters continue to dominate the headlines.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the ongoing drama surrounding the Glasgow giants’ withdrawal from the Sydney Super Cup back in April.
Rangers had been due to face Celtic for the first time in a non-competitive match in the four-team tournament but performed a U-turn after a backlash from supporters.
As relayed by The Athletic last Tuesday (29 November), the organisers of the competition are now suing Rangers for £1.6million.
Meanwhile, Rangers are also the subject of a potential £9.5m legal action from Elite Sports, the brand partner of Hummell, former kit supplier to the Ibrox club.
That means they could be forced to shell out as much as £11.1m in settlements if unsuccessful in defending both cases, although the fate of the Elite Sports action is up in the air due to the firm’s insolvency.
Maguire insists that fans will be sick of background noise as they begin adapting to life under new manager Michael Beale.
“The rumours of the Sydney Cup promoters suing Rangers can’t help the club,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“There is an awful lot of noise in relation to Rangers at the moment and fans are tired of off-pitch activities dominating what is happening on the pitch.
“Their main focus is challenging for the Premiership title this season. As such, this news will not have gone down well.
“Rangers fans were not happy with the nature of the Sydney Cup. In their eyes, there is no such thing as a friendly with Celtic.
“You can also understand that a match that was marketed as Ange Postecoglou’s homecoming further incensed them.
“So, while Rangers fans would be in alignment with the decision to withdraw from the Sydney Cup, they won’t be happy with the fallout.
“This is on top of legal settlements with Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct, potentially something to do with Elite Sports, and what appears to be a soured relationship with former significant shareholder Dave King.”
In other news, Rangers submit big-money Jack Wylie offer after Premier League giants talks.