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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Robbie Copeland

SPFL bite back at Rangers and Douglas Park over cinch row as they vow to 'set the record straight'

The SPFL have responded to Rangers chief Douglas Park as the cinch sponsorship row continues.

The motor firm run by Park insisted the SPFL owe the club and the rest of Scottish football an apology for their cinch row.

Rangers are claiming victory after they were cut loose of their obligations to show cinch branding in home games in an agreement thrashed out by Neil Doncaster.

And Park’s company released a scathing statement blasting the governing body for forcing them into an arbitration process run by the SFA and accusing the league of dragging their heels as Rangers pressed for a settlement.

An SPFL statement reads: “We note with interest Park’s version of events.

“We are currently bound by the confidentiality of the legal process. Frustratingly, we have had to keep our counsel throughout.

"However, we have written to Rangers and Park’s seeking confirmation that this confidentiality no longer applies, following yesterday’s announcement of our revised title sponsorship agreement with cinch.

“If they agree to our proposal we will be able to provide a full and frank narrative to our member clubs. We very much look forward to the opportunity to set the record straight.”

Park's of Hamilton had earlier said in a statement:

“We were not surprised to learn from the media announcement last night that the SPFL have finally acknowledged Rangers legitimately engaged rule i7 in June of last year and thus, vindicated the stance held by the club for over a year.

“It is not for us to speculate as to why the SPFL leadership sought to ignore their own rules for so long.

“The fact that the SPFL prevaricated and continued to stall an arbitration process they themselves initiated in August last year, and which was ruled upon by the court of appeal in October, underlined the weakness of the case they truly had. Were it not for our interim interdict, it is clear their strategy was to try to bully one of their members and shareholders; a strategy which they have employed on numerous occasions.

“Throughout the last year, Park’s have kept their counsel as the SPFL leadership insulted us and misled the SFA, their member clubs, their title sponsor, and various other stakeholders in Scottish football.

“We have a long standing and proud association with Scottish football, and it was entirely wrong that we were compelled to take the SFA to court because the SPFL decided to abuse the SFA’s arbitration process.

“We believe that the SPFL and members of its leadership have brought the game into disrepute and have failed, as have the SPFL as an organisation, to act with the utmost good faith towards their members.

“The SFA must carry out an independent investigation into this issue which has cost all parties involved hundreds of thousands of pounds. Despite being awarded expenses in court, Park’s will not recover all their legal fees nor be compensated for the reputational damage caused by the SPFL.

“Finally, the glaring omission from the SPFL’s statement was an apology. The SPFL leadership owe their members an apology, they owe Park's an apology, they owe the SFA an apology and they also owe an apology to Rangers.

“Unfortunately, they seem to lack any accountability and would rather spend their members money than admit their failures.”

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