At a time when every other club would be looking to cut costs, potentially making players redundant, Rangers are trying to add personnel to their squad at a cost of £30,000 a week. Such a bewildering act even had the backing of the administrators, who were appointed to cut costs rather than add to them.
On Monday, Rangers had announced a deal to sign Gabon striker Daniel Cousin on a free transfer, subject to international clearance, but just 24 hours later the Ibrox side went into administration, which triggered sanctions from the SPL – including an automatic 10 point deduction and a transfer embargo on signing players.
Despite Ally McCoist being optimistic enough to select Cousin for the squad that will face Kilmarnock tomorrow, that optimism turned to despair as the governing body blocked the Ibrox side’s attempts to sign the striker, leaving the club with only David Healy as their only experienced out-and-out striker.
The SPL published a statement tonight confirming their decision to block Cousin’s registration, it read: “The SPL was at 3.26pm today presented with a contract between Daniel Cousin and Rangers FC dated 17 February 2012, signed by the player and by Paul Clark, the Joint Administrator of The Rangers Football Club plc (in Administration).
“In terms of SPL Rule A6.20, the consent of the Board of the SPL was required for the Registration of the Player with the SPL. The Board of the SPL declined to give that consent.
“Accordingly the Player is not Registered with the SPL and is not eligible to Play in SPL Matches. Rangers FC have the right to appeal this decision to the Judicial Panel of the Scottish FA.”
The ruling which prevents Rangers from signing players states: “A club that has taken, suffered or has been subject to an insolvency event or events shall not be entitled or permitted to register any player with the League and the League shall not register such a player in terms of section D of the rules until such insolvency event or events shall no longer continue or subsist.”
Next week when the administrators potentially wield the axe on administrative staff and those players in the final months of their contracts, there will be questions put to the administrators by those people facing redundancy claiming if they had the money to sign Cousin on a £5,000 per week contract why are they being given the auld heave-ho?
