Whyte

By Graham Barnstaple
April 23 2012

Rangers have been found guilty of breaking five SFA rules and the club and owner Craig Whyte have been fined amongst other sanctions.

The panel have announced their sanctions tonight with Rangers being fined £160000 and banned from signing any players for 12 months (Apart from Under 18s). Craig Whyte has been fined £200000 and banned from being involved in any Scottish Football club in the future.

This will be a double whammy for the club, with money being tight where will they find the money to pay the fine! Depending upon how things go how will they be able to put a side out for next season.

If the club are to live within their means they will struggle to afford the current first team, even if they agree to continue with their current reduction in wages. I would expect most of them will be desperate to return to their normal level of salary by moving toEngland.

It all makes you wonder how this whole sorry saga will end up, and where it will leave Rangers in the future even if they come out of administration intact. This decision may change the playing field for the buyers who are still throwing their hat in the ring.

It will be interesting to note if the ban will carry over if Rangers are re-invented as a Newco, is this the loophole to get round this ban!