Rangers 'could face heavier sanctions' after signing ban court battle

A sports lawyer has warned that crisis-hit Rangers could face heavier sanctions from the football governing bodies as a result of a court battle.

The Ibrox club were successful in seeking guidance from the Court of Session in relation to the 12-month player signing ban the Scottish FA hit them with for various rule breaches, including bringing the game into disrepute.

However, the use of civil courts to deal with the case could result in the club facing further sanctions from the SFA as Fifa do not approve of those in the game going out with the disciplinary mechanisms of it to settle disputes, according to sports lawyer Dan Chapman.

In an interview with STV’s Scotland Tonight, Mr Chapman warned that Rangers could be facing a suspension of their SFA membership, or even expulsion from the game as a result of the legal move.

Lord Glennie ruled on Tuesday that the SFA did not have a clear route of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland that the Glasgow club could have pursued, while he also found that a player registration embargo was not a punishment clearly set out in the football governing body’s rules.

Mr Chapman said: "The main implication is that they are now facing a new sanction and likely a more severe one than the transfer embargo that they appealed."

The sports lawyer told Tuesday night’s programme that it looked like Rangers had shot themselves in the foot "unless there’s some other tactic escaping our attention here".

He added: "It seems they are now facing suspension or worse, expulsion."

The other possible sanctions facing Rangers are a ban from the Scottish Cup or a further fine after the association’s judicial panel fined them £160,000 for the rule breaches.

Fifa’s view on the legal move could also come into play, Mr Chapman said. He continued: "There’s a whole political issue at play here as well, Fifa don’t take kindly to football clubs seeking redress through the civil courts.

"Football is governed by various football associations who are in turn governed by Fifa. There are clear precedents for football clubs and member states getting themselves into difficulty when they have used the civil courts. We know that Fifa are keeping a close eye on this and the SFA are going to come under some pressure to make sure that they deal with this matter fairly strictly."

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