SPFL agree revised sponsorship deal with cinch amid Rangers row

The SPFL has agreed a revised title sponsorship deal with cinch amid a row with Rangers over advertising.

Under the terms of the new deal, which comes into force with immediate effect, the Ibrox club will no longer be required to participate by providing the agreed sponsorship inventory, which they have so far failed to provide.

The SPFL say the revised deal protects the car dealership’s investment into Scottish football with bosses saying they are confident their current budget of £27.5m for the 2021/22 season will be exceeded.

A Rangers spokesperson said the club’s stance throughout the season had been “vindicated” by the decision.

Chief executive Neil Doncaster has welcomed the deal, which has been approved by the Premiership clubs, as “extremely good news”.

He said: “Under the terms of the revised cinch contract, Rangers are no longer required to participate by providing the sponsorship inventory that they have so far not provided, whilst, crucially, the overall income to Scottish football is expected to remain materially unchanged over the original five-year term of the sponsorship.

“This revised package has now been approved by cinch Premiership Clubs.

“It’s extremely good news that we have been able to work with our partners at cinch to develop an updated sponsorship package which delivers the same level of financial support to Scottish football, whilst providing additional SPFL media assets to cinch to compensate for loss of Rangers related rights. It is testament to the strength of our relationship with cinch, and the high value they place on it, that they have agreed to move forward with us on this basis.

“This deal gives us further confidence that we will exceed our budget and deliver fees to clubs of more than £27.5m for Season 2021/22.”

Murdoch MacLennan, chairman of the SPFL, added: “This is a great outcome for the entire game in Scotland. Our friends at cinch have been brilliant to deal with throughout this whole process.

“There is so much to celebrate in the SPFL as cinch and our clubs look forward with excitement to the launch of the 2022/23 fixture list this Friday.”

A spokesman for cinch said: “We welcome the evolution of our agreement with the SPFL and are proud of our continued investment into Scottish football across all four cinch SPFL leagues.

“We are very much looking forward to next season and to continuing the stellar growth of our business in Scotland.”

A Rangers spokesperson added: “This is a full vindication of our stance throughout the past season and further highlights wide ranging concerns regarding the corporate governance of the SPFL.”