17 Jul 2012

Dundee to replace demoted Rangers in Scotland

6:49 am on 17 July 2012

Dundee FC will replace Glasgow Rangers in Scottish football's Premier League after Rangers were demoted following their financial crisis.

The Premier League clubs made the decision to promote Dundee, who finished runners-up last season in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of the game in Scotland.

Rangers have been told to relaunch in the fourth tier after collapsing under their debt pile, breaking the stranglehold they and city rivals Celtic have had on the Scottish game for decades.

There had been talk of a breakaway SPL-2 to accommodate Rangers just below the top flight but that has not materialised. Some SPL clubs fear they will struggle financially in the absence of one of the best supported clubs in Britain.

Dundee were Scottish champions in 1962 but have been out of the SPL since 2005. Their elevation will rekindle their own rivalry with Dundee United whose stadium is only a few hundred metres away.