Non-Old Firm clubs to quit SPL

The chairmen of the Scottish Premier League clubs today agreed a new TV deal worth £15m with the BBC, but also started the League's meltdown.

The 10 non-Old Firm clubs have declared they will hand in their resignation after failing to agree with Rangers and Celtic over plans to change the voting structure.

Bryan Jackson, Motherwell's administrator, said: "The 10 SPL clubs do intend to resign in the next 24 hours."

The SPL constitution states that there must be a two-year waiting period before resignations can come into effect so any delay would have meant a whole extra year of waiting.

The threat issued by the SPL clubs, therefore, to the Old Firm is that the SPL would cease to exist in two years' time and be immediately replaced by a new league with the rules set by the 10 clubs.

Celtic and Rangers would be likely to be invited to join it - but only under the other clubs' terms.