League refuses to postpone Rangers game
UEFA Cup
| Semifinals, Leg 2 | |
| Thu., May 1 | |
| Matchday Wrap Matchday Photos | |
| Zenit 4-0 Bayern Munich | Recap |
| Fiorentina 0-0(2-4) Rangers | Recap |
But Scottish soccer's governing body announced that the final against Queen of the South at Hampden Park would go ahead as scheduled.
Rangers also has three games to make up on league leader Celtic in the title race, and the club's request to the Premier League to postpone Saturday's game against Dundee United was rejected.
"The SFA indicated late yesterday that they wished to discuss whether there was any help they could provide," Premier League executive chairman Lex Gold said. "We met this morning to explore the available options, including a review of the Scottish Cup final date.
"The meeting took place in a constructive atmosphere. But no viable alternatives to the fixture list emerged that did not place the integrity of the SPL competition at risk."
The SFA and the SPL both feared that moving games to accommodate Rangers might affect other teams' chances of capturing a UEFA Cup spot with a third-place finish in the league.
Motherwell, Dundee United, Hibernian and Aberdeen are all in the hunt to finish third.
"Given the stage we have now reached in our competition, both in terms of the title chase and in relation to the European places, it is not possible to modify the closing date of the season without placing at serious risk the fairness to all of our competition," Gold said. "The season will end on Thursday, May 22."
Scottish teams have not won a European title since Aberdeen captured the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup in 1983 when it beat Real Madrid 2-1. That was under the guidance of Alex Ferguson, who moved on to Manchester United three seasons later and has won multiple domestic titles and one Champions League with the Red Devils.
Celtic, a European Cup winner in 1967, reached the UEFA Cup final in 2003 but lost 3-2 to FC Porto.

advertisement

