Football News: The Secret 5-Way Agreement: Proof Rangers Are A New Club

I have written the below article as a Celtic supporter for those who do not know much about the secret 5 way agreement but have heard about it.

The Secret 5-Way Agreement: Proof Rangers Are A New Club

In 2012, Rangers Football Club went into liquidation. That is a fact. The club ceased trading, its assets were sold off, and a new company, Sevco Scotland Ltd, bought those assets. What followed was a scramble behind the scenes involving the key bodies in Scottish football to manage the fallout. The result was the now infamous secret 5-way agreement.

This agreement was signed by five parties: the SFA, the SPL, the SFL, the old Rangers in liquidation, and the new company, Sevco Scotland Ltd. The purpose was to create a pathway for the new club to gain entry into the league system and to transfer the old club's SFA membership. If Rangers were truly the same club, none of this would have been necessary. The membership would have remained in place and the club would have automatically carried its full responsibilities and liabilities. But that did not happen.

A leaked draft of the agreement showed something very telling. Sevco, as the new club, had to accept all footballing debts. That meant money still owed to other clubs for transfers, among other things. This was a condition of being allowed into the Scottish football league structure. If they were the same club, this condition would have been pointless. The debts would have already been theirs.

The agreement also made it clear that the new Rangers would accept punishment for the use of EBTs, despite not being the same legal entity that committed the offence. This contradiction is where the whole myth of continuity falls apart. You cannot be punished for something you did not do unless you are being treated as a successor, not a continuation.

The final version of the agreement has never been released. Not to the public, not to shareholders, and not to fans. After all these years, you have to ask why. If Rangers were truly the same club, why the secrecy? Why the need for a specially negotiated deal? And why were they denied entry into Europe in 2012 due to not having three years of accounts?

The truth is simple. Rangers are a new club. They were created after the old club went bust. The 5-way agreement exists precisely because Rangers are not the same club. If they were, no such deal would have been needed. The authorities know this, and deep down, so do the fans. The rest is just denial dressed up as tradition.

Written by Weejoe May 24 2025 12:38:04