Rangers fined but allowed to keep titles

Oldco Rangers escaped with their 54 titles intact yesterday after an independent commission ruled that undisclosed payments to dozens of players did not give them a “sporting advantage”.

Judge Lord Nimmo Smith and two QCs, who were appointed by the Scottish Premier League (SPL) in August last year, found the club guilty of rule breaches stretching from 2000 to 2011 and issued a £250,000 (€290,300) fine.

But with the oldco club in liquidation, and the newco club not held responsible, the punishment is effectively meaningless.