Rangers: Clubs asked to allow SFL board to make First Division decision

Crucial meeting: Hampden will see votes by SFL clubs on Rangers.

Scottish Football League clubs are being asked to vote on whether to give their board the discretion to put newco Rangers directly into the First Division.

The details of the resolutions have been sent out to SFL clubs which could see Rangers admitted into the SFL top flight or Third Division.

They mean Rangers' future hangs on a package of measures to drawn up by Scottish football's governing bodies before next Friday's crucial meeting.

A consortium led by Charles Green, which bought the assets of Rangers FC PLC, has applied to join the SFL following the rejection of its application to be admitted into the SPL.

The SFL meeting on Friday will see a series of votes that will decide Rangers' future.

The first resolution to be voted on would admit newco Rangers as an associate member of the SFL.

The second resolution would allow Rangers to be admitted into SFL First Division at the discretion of the SFL board if the board is persuaded by a package of measures put forward by the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Premier League.

The meeting notice reads: "(ii) That the Scottish Football League Members direct the Board of Management of The Scottish Football League (the “Board”) to provide that Rangers F.C. shall play in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League during Season 2012/13 unless the Board shall have to its satisfaction negotiated and reached agreement with The Scottish Premier League and The Scottish Football Association on a series of measures which the Board shall consider to be in the best interests of the game, how it is structured, how it is governed and how it is financed, whereupon the Board shall be authorised to provide that Rangers F.C. shall play in the First Division of the Scottish Football League during Season 2012/13."

The broad details of this are likely to include a TV rights payment of £1m and the introduction of play-offs. The full details will be drawn up in advance of Friday's meeting.

The SFL board has ruled a simple majority will be required in the vote. Airdrie have already indicated they will abstain because of a conflict of interest.

An SFL club source confirmed to STV that the clubs would know the full details of the package on offer before voting - making this second resolution the key vote to decide whether Rangers goes into the First Division.

The meeting notice continues: "Details of the series of measures referred to at (ii) above shall be made available to the Members in advance of the meeting and an opportunity for full discussion of those measures will be given prior to the proposals being put to the meeting."

The third resolution provides for either Dundee or Dunfermline to resign to join the SPL - depending on SPL's decision on which to invite to join its ranks.

The SFA and SPL have already indicated that they want Rangers to be First Division next season, saying there would be severe financial consequences for the Scottish game if they are not admitted.

However, several SFL clubs, who will meet at Hampden for Friday's vote, have already said they resent the pressure being put on them and want Rangers to start in Division Three.

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