Scottish Third Division club Rangers FC have "refused to cooperate with the Scottish Premier League inquiry into alleged undisclosed payments to players" by previous owners, according to Gavin McCafferty of the LONDON TIMES. Rangers CEO Charles Green said that the club "would not be attending" the opening hearings of the SPL-appointed independent commission into the matter, due to take place by Wednesday. Green said in a statement: “The club cannot continue to participate in an SPL process that we believe is fundamentally misconceived.” He "accused the SPL of hypocrisy and insisted that it had no legal authority" over his club. Green also questioned "the independence of the three-man panel," which is chaired by Nimmo Smith, and threatened legal action if Rangers "are stripped of any league titles" (LONDON TIMES, 9/11). Green said, “Neither the SPL, nor its commission, has any legal power or authority over the club because it is not in the SPL. For that reason it has no legal basis on which to appoint its commission. The club ceased to be subject to the SPL’s rules when it was ejected from its league" (Scotland DAILY RECORD, 9/11).
