Dundee supporters have slammed the SPFL and Rangers in the wake of the club’s unprecedented fine over the Dens Park pitch.
Tony Docherty’s side finally faced Gers at the third time of asking this week, holding the Ibrox outfit to a 0-0 draw.
But the Sky Sports TV fixture was postponed twice due to the waterlogged Dens pitch, taking the Dark Blues’ home call-off tally to five for the season.
Hampden chiefs said: “As a result [of the postponements], Dundee were fined £186,000, of which £120,000 is suspended until the end of season 2024/25.”
Dee, who at a hearing on Thursday admitted five rule breaches regarding their playing surface, dispute the figure and are seeking legal advice over the punishment.
‘Very harsh’
And fans are furious at the SPFL’s punishment and the build-up to the controversial fixture that saw Gers accuse the Dark Blues of negligence and unprofessional.
The Glasgow club also demanded the Hampden hierarchy take action against Dundee, while Ibrox boss Philippe Clement took several digs at Dundee.
Dee fan @harri30n wrote: “Was worth it for the Rangers meltdown.”
@DensParkChoir said: “Fine – £186K. Suspended – £120K. The meltdown on social media – priceless.”
@DFCtrivia added: “Very harsh. You should be helping clubs, not trying to destroy them.”
Others demanded answers from the SPFL over their probe into the Rangers fans responsible for causing chaos at Dens last November.
The match had to be suspended just two minutes in when visiting supporters in the Bob Shankly Stand set off flares, leading to fire alarms going off and police asking referee Kevin Clancy to halt play.
‘Hypocrisy laid bare’
@soccermarsh1 wrote: “Yet Rangers get off scot-free for their pyrotechnics display at Dens? Surely that’s a breach of SPFL rules.
“Absolute clown show at the SPFL.”
@TheDarkBlues said: “The @spfl hypocrisy is laid bare to see.
“If this were any other team, except Rangers or Celtic, nothing would have been said or done.
“Yet, the SPFL let them away with murder week in, week out.”
@gav_scott30 added: “All that is wrong with senior level Scottish football!
“Would the fine money not be better left in Dundee’s wallet to spend on helping improve the situation?”
Motherwell were fined £50,000 in 2010, with a further £45,000 suspended, after facing similar pitch issues.
However, the Fir Park club’s punishment came during the SPL era, with leniency shown because ‘Well had already taken steps to address the problem.
‘Fair league competition’
@bellshillbaker, addressing Dundee’s fine, wrote: “That seems excessive based on a natural event.
“We had around 10 days of heavy rain.”
Dark Blues diehard @burnsnathan1999 added: “Maybe the money can go towards training up the refs to a higher standard.”
An SPFL spokesman said: “SPFL Rules on pitch condition are an integral part of maintaining a fair league competition.”
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