 | Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the corresponding page Rangers F.C.. They address concerns, questions, and misconceptions which have repeatedly arisen on the talk page. Please feel free to change this material in light of new discussion. |
Many of these questions arise frequently on the talk page concerning Rangers. Please refer to this FAQ and the archives before repeating them.
To view an explanation to the answer, click the [show] link to the right of the question.
Weren't Rangers liquidated on 14 June when the CVA was rejected? (No.)
No. What happened on 14 June was that the proposal for Rangers to exit administration via a CVA was rejected by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the largest creditor. This meant that the CVA proposal failed and the company would have to be liquidated. A liquidator was appointed on 31 October 2012.[1] The company is in liquidation but it will take some time before the company is dissolved.[2] In June 2015, The Herald reported that the liquidator would propose an interim payment from the old company to its creditors.[3] A final payment depended on the outcome of the "big tax case", which will determine how much is due to HMRC.[3] That case was resolved in favour of HMRC in 2017,[4] and in December 2022 the liquidator and HMRC agreed on a final liability of £56 million.[5]
Is it not fact that Rangers Football Club that was founded in 1872/1873 no longer exist, and the club in division 3 this season 2012/2013 is a new football club? (Depends who you ask.)
No. Various news sources initially reported it as being a new club, but this question was subsequently addressed by the governing league body, the Scottish Professional Football League, who stated clearly that it is the same club.[6]
Is it true that Rangers could not play in Europe for 3 years (after 2012) because they are a new club, even if they had won the Scottish Cup? (Yes, but not for that reason.)
Yes. because UEFA rules state that a club must have 3 years of audited accounts.[7] Rangers did not have this accounts history because of the liquidation of the old company and creation of a new company. Even if the old company had not been liquidated, they would have still been banned from European football in the 2012–13 season because audited accounts for 2011 were not submitted by the deadline of 31 March 2012.[8][9]
Were Rangers relegated to the Third Division? (No.)
Although some sources use the term "relegated" to describe Rangers playing in the 2012–13 Scottish Third Division,[10] this is inaccurate. Rangers FC was a member of the Scottish Premier League and had a membership share in that organisation. The rules of the Scottish Premier League stated that any share transfer (except for the normal process of promotion and relegation with the First Division) had to be approved by a two thirds majority of the member clubs. The new company acquired the membership share from the administrators of the old company, but the proposed transfer was rejected by a 10-1 majority of the 12 clubs.[11] Rangers then applied to join the Scottish Football League and were admitted to the Third Division[12] as an associate member of the league.[13]
Is Wikipedia allowing Rangers fans to lie that their club still exists, when it is dead? (No, it is following Wikipedia policy.)
Wikipedia is founded on the key policies of Consensus, reliable sources, neutral point of view, no censoring and no original research. Editors have come to a consensus regarding these key policies.
Surely no-one can buy Rangers' history or goodwill? (Not for us to decide.)
It is not for Wikipedia to decide if you can or can not "buy" history and goodwill. However there are many examples of companies buying other companies and taking on their history. Wikipedia relies on sources and if the source say Rangers' new company bought Rangers' history, then that is what Wikipedia will say.
Is Wikipedia reporting lies about Rangers F.C. because fans do not want to accept their club has folded? (No.)
Wikipedia is based on reliable sources and Rangers FC is therefore treated as the same club because this is what reliable sources say. Which is the ultimate truth is not something Wikipedia can dictate.
- ^ "Lord Hodge approves liquidation of former Rangers FC". BBC News. BBC. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
- ^ "RFC 2012 Plc". Companies House. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ a b Williams, Martin (17 June 2015). "Dave King stands to get £1.4m out of £10m Rangers oldco creditors pot". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ "HMRC wins Rangers 'big tax case' ruling". BBC News. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ "Rangers: BDO reaches £56m agreement with HMRC to close tax case". BBC Sport. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ "SPFL Chief Executive: Rangers are the same club". BBC. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "Uefa Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations" (PDF). uefa.com. UEFA. 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
Chapter 2 Article 12 - The membership and the contractual relationship (if any) must have lasted – at the start of the licence season – for at least three consecutive years. Any alteration to the club's legal form or company structure (including, for example, changing its headquarters, name or club colours, or transferring stakeholdings between different clubs) during this period in order to facilitate its qualification on sporting merit and/or its receipt of a licence to the detriment of the integrity of a competition is deemed as an interruption of membership or contractual relationship (if any) within the meaning of this provision.
- ^ "Rangers administrators strive to meet Uefa accounts date". BBC Sport. BBC. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ "Rangers will not participate in European competition next season". BBC Sport. BBC. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ "Celtic backer Dermot Desmond misses rivalry with Rangers". BBC Sport. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ "Rangers newco refused SPL entry after chairmen vote". BBC Sport. BBC. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ "Rangers: Charles Green accepts Division Three vote". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Gordon Smith says Rangers will have to accept change". Evening Times. Herald & Times Group. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.