Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has been reacting to Glasgow Rangers' continued decision not to feature Cinch either on their sleeves or around Ibrox.

The Lowdown: Gers continue Cinch stance

Earlier this year, the SPFL signed a five-year deal (sportspromedia.com) worth £8m per season with new title sponsor Cinch - it is the biggest such agreement in the organisation's history.

However, the Gers believe there are gaps in the contract and have therefore refused to advertise the sponsor during their Premiership matches (The Daily Record).

The Latest: Maguire reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire believes that it is a big blow to Cinch and believes they will be furious with the Gers' stance. He said:

"The SPFL deal is worth £8m, which is a record.

"They were criticised for not having a sponsor last season. As part of the deal, you’ve got to feature Cinch’s logo on the sleeve and in the matchday event.

"It works out at around £34,000 per club, per season. That’s a lot of money for a club in League 2, though I presume the money is tiered not split equally between each team in the league system.

"But there is no love lost between the SPFL and Rangers. The club believes that, under Scottish law, they don’t have to comply with the deal.

"The downside is that Rangers are currently the biggest draw in Scottish football in terms of viewership and interest.

"That means that they are on TV every week. From Cinch’s point of view, if they refuse to play ball, it’s a bitter loss of profile. They’ll be furious."

The Verdict: Distraction

After a stellar 2020/21 campaign in which the Gers didn't lose a single league game as they claimed the Premiership title (thefishy.co.uk), the new season has not got off to the best of starts for the 55-time Scottish champions. It has taken them just two league outings to suffer their first defeat this time around, a 1-0 loss to Dundee United (Sky Sports), while they also find themselves 2-1 down after the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie with Malmo.

While the Cinch deal is not directly linked to performances on the pitch, it is becoming a bigger and bigger talking point and may be evolving into a distraction for the Gers. The return leg of the clash with Malmo is on Tuesday - they cannot afford to have their minds elsewhere.

In other news, Rangers are open to offers for this ace.