Rangers’ season is all but finished, with just a long-shot Europa League title to contend for, and Barry Ferguson is tasked with leading the team he adores until the conclusion of the season.
On the pitch, things couldn’t be worse, with a Rangers side that still needs a lot of improvement this summer, which could be aided by off-the-field happenings.
A potential takeover by the San Francisco 49ers group has been accepted in principle; but, things are rarely this simple, and Rangers fans should not get too thrilled just yet.
The San Francisco 49ers’ takeover of the Rangers faces a red tape hurdle.
According to financial website City AM, there is a hiccup in the preparations, despite the 49ers’ approval for Rangers to fire Philippe Clement.
The 49ers Enterprises have a well-reported investment in Leeds United, therefore a controlling stake in Rangers is also a concern.
It had been anticipated that the workaround would be for the 49ers to have a share of less than 30% and other consortium members to increase that number to more than 50%, but even this may not be sufficient.
There is one, though: if Leeds is promoted to the Premier League.
Why? Because the Premier League’s rules regarding multi-club ownership are less rigorous than those of the English Football League.
The good news is that they are currently five points clear at the top, with another safety net being recorded.
Rangers handed a second chance to complete the takeover
This week, EFL teams will meet to discuss loosening the rules that have allowed Bournemouth to benefit from promotion to the top flight; otherwise, their stake in Hibernian would have been blocked.
The reliance on Leeds being promoted has decreased slightly, though this is still the preferred outcome for Rangers.
Multi-club owner ship is becoming more common and it would be a surprise if the EFL doesn’t follow the lead of the Premier League, given that is where they all want to be.
An expected time range of April to June has been offered thus far with all eyes on the Championship between now and the end of the season.
