Rangers have taken issue with the SPFL and Sky Sports for deciding to reschedule their matchup with Motherwell for Christmas Eve.
The Ibrox team was scheduled to visit Fir Park on Saturday, December 23, but on Friday, it was revealed that the match will instead take place on Sunday, December 24, starting at midday.
The league body and broadcaster have come under fire from Rangers for their disrespect for the fans and their lack of prior consultation. The team has also brought up a previous request for a fixture modification that was denied.
“The club is very grateful for the sacrifices made by our supporters and the great distances they travel to support their team whenever possible. It doesn’t seem essential for Sky Sports to reschedule the game to Christmas Eve, when many fans will have other plans and public transportation is scarce, considering the possible broadcast slots they may have on Saturday.
“In addition, the club was only informed of the change in fixtures an hour before it was made public, leaving no opportunity for discussion or argument with the SPFL or Sky Sports.
“The players travelled back from Cyprus on Friday evening for almost five hours, thus earlier in the season the club requested that our match against St Mirren on Sunday, October 8, start later than 12noon to allow for extra recuperation and preparation time. The request was turned down.
We appreciate Sky Sports as a league partner, and as a team, we have a solid
“The players travelled back from Cyprus on Friday evening for almost five hours, thus earlier in the season the club requested that our match against St Mirren on Sunday, October 8, start later than 12noon to allow for extra recuperation and preparation time. The request was turned down.
The league values its partnership with Sky Sports, and we as a club have a great working relationship with them. However, this choice is really bad and disrespectful to our fans.
Motherwell has expressed reservations as well, stating that “moving a major fixture to this date is a special circumstance that should’ve led to additional consultation/ discussion with the club,” even though they acknowledge that the broadcast deal permits such modifications.
In addition, a statement said, “We can only express our regret to those who our action would cause inconvenience to, especially to those who will be unable to attend the game.
“We understand this move is particularly inconvenient for fans who had booked pre-match hospitality, which was already sold out.
“We are working with suppliers to provide an alternative offering pre- and post-match. We hope to still see as many of our fans as possible at the game.”
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