Rangers have thrashed out a peace deal with organisers of the Sydney Super Cup and spared themselves a £1.6million legal fight.
Ibrox bosses were bracing themselves for another costly court battle after backing out of a planned Old Firm clash with Celtic Down Under last November. The friendly showdown would have seen for the clubs meet for the first time outside of Scotland’s borders for what was billed as a Homecoming jaunt for former Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou. However, the announcement of the match sparked a furious backlash from the Ibrox faithful and Gers withdrew, citing contractual breaches by the company behind the tournament, TEG.
The firm, however, hit back themselves by filing a claim for “wrongful termination” with Australian authorities seeking huge damages. But the legal dispute will now no longer proceed after Ibrox chiefs struck a new lucrative agreement that will see TEG become the club’s new “international touring partner”. The deal opens up possibilities for the Light Blues to take part in glamour international summer friendlies competitions over the next three seasons. TEG have previously worked with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich staging exhibition clashes across the globe in venues ranging from Australia and Singapore to the US.
Discussions are ongoing to lay out a schedule for potential money-spinning foreign trips, with jaunts to North America, the Middle East and Asia amongst those under consideration for future summer tours. New Rangers chief exec James Bisgrove said: "We're delighted to team up with TEG and form this innovative commercial partnership that propels our international strategy into a new dimension.
"The collaboration will enable the Rangers’ first team to tour international markets, such as North America, Far East Asia and the Middle East, in the years ahead. Rangers Football Club is incredibly fortunate to have the most passionate and diverse supporter base in world football, and we are excited to bring our men's first team to key international markets with the strong support of TEG as our partner."
TEG Group boss Geoff Jones added: “We are pleased to have a touring partnership with Rangers Football Club. This partnership ends the previous dispute between Rangers and TEG, as both organisations look forward to a collaborative and mutually beneficial commercial relationship in the years ahead.
“This year alone our TEG Sport division will tour some of the biggest football clubs across eight countries in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
“We look forward to continuing to expand our international football touring with Rangers.”
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