Posted on May 25
Scottish giants Rangers took their battle against a 12-month transfer ban to court, arguing that the embargo was unlawful, amid concerns that it would make the crisis-hit club less attractive to potential buyers.

Scottish giants Rangers took their battle against a 12-month transfer ban to court on Friday, arguing that the embargo was unlawful, amid concerns that it would make the crisis-hit club less attractive to potential buyers.

Administrators Duff and Phelps, brought in to sort out financial chaos at the Glasgow club, began a civil action against the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

In a statement, joint-administrator Paul Clark said: "The club started proceedings at the Court of Session today in an attempt to challenge the imposition by an SFA judicial panel of a player signing embargo.

"The process will continue at the court on Tuesday and it is the club's position that the judicial panel did not have the powers to impose such a sanction."

The administrators claim the punishment, specifically a ban on registering players aged over 17, is not explicitly laid out in the SFA rules and so they claim it was not available to the panel who made the decision.

However, the SFA articles of association include a clause that a judicial panel can implement any sanctions they deem appropriate.

Rangers last week lost an SFA appeal against the punishment, which was handed down over their failure to pay £13 million (16 million euros, $20 million ) in tax last season.

The disrepute charge was one of five offences Rangers were found guilty of in relation to their financial affairs and the appointment as chairman of Craig Whyte, who was deemed unfit for a role in football by an SFA-commissioned inquiry.

He had previously been disqualified as serving as a director.

Charles Green, the former Sheffield United chief executive at the head of the consortium that has agreed to purchase the club, previously backed the administrators in their attempts to challenge the ban.

The club's challenge is being paid for by the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund, which was formed to enable supporters to help the club through administration.

Rangers fear the embargo will leave them without an experienced team next season as several of their leading players negotiated exit clauses when they agreed to temporary wage cuts.

This means they are free to leave for a specific cut-price fee from June 1, when their wages are due to revert to normal.