6:50 am, August 14, 2021
An ongoing row over Cinch’s multi-million-pound sponsorship of the Scottish Premier Football League (SPFL) is expected to be settled by the Scottish Football Association (SFA).
Car Dealer reported last week that Scottish champions Rangers are refusing to advertise Cinch anywhere at their Ibrox Stadium.
The Gers are furious at the £8m long-term sponsorship deal as their chairman Douglas Park, has his own second-hand car business that rivals Cinch.
Park’s Motor Group was founded in 1971 and represents 26 manufacturers across Scotland.
The club’s refusal to acknowledge the Cinch deal has led to fears the contract could be ripped up after just two games of the new season.
The SPFL has now taken the ‘reluctant’ decision to refer the matter to the SFA in the hope of settling the debate, reports the Daily Record.
For their part, Rangers say they are covered by the SPFL’s rule 17 which states that clubs are ‘not obliged to comply with this rule if to do so would result in that club being in breach of a contractural obligation entered into prior to the commercial contract concerned.’
In an email to member clubs, SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan, wrote: ‘The one SPFL club that has failed to deliver club inventory for Cinch is also hampering the SPFL from promoting the SPFL’s relationship with cinch by, for example, refusing to permit cinch-branded interview backboards to be delivered to, or used at, its home ground and to be used for broadcast partner interviews with club representatives at away matches.
‘At their opening league match, none of that club’s players wore the cinch branded sleeve patch; there were no LED advertising or static advertising boards with cinch branding allowed in the stadium; and the club concerned also refused to allow the use of the standard SPFL broadcast partner interview backdrop board displaying cinch branding.
‘Over several weeks now, your board has sought to engage with the club concerned to find a way through this very serious impasse.
‘However, we have been met with a refusal to give the board sight of any pre-existing third-party contract that would prevent the club from providing inventory for Cinch.’
Rangers lost their 41 game unbeaten domestic run last weekend when they lost 1-0 to Dundee United.
The Teddy Bears also crashed out of the Champions League against Malmo in midweek meaning they have now won just two of their last eight games to be held in front of a crowd.
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