TalkSPORT presenter leaps to defence of Rangers over merchandise price fixing fine as fan media partner calls for explanation

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has launched his own defence of Rangers after the club was hit with a £225,000 fine by the Competition and Markets Authority for fixing the price of replica kits and other club merchandise.

JD Sports and Elite Sports have also been issued penalties of £1.45million and £459,000 respectively, after they were found guilty by the CMA of collusion.

The findings cover a total period between September 2018 and July 2019, but Rangers involvement concerns a shorter three-month period between September and November 201, with fines totalling £2million.

The CMS note that all three parties ‘admitted to acting illegally’ after an investigation was launched in December 2020 and executive director of enforcement Michael Grenfell said: “Today’s decision sends a clear message to football clubs and other businesses that illegal anti-competitive collusion will not be tolerated.”

The investigation claims the Ibrox side became concerned that JD Sports were selling the replica shirt at a lower price than Elite Sports, which lead to ‘an understanding’ that they would increase the price of the adult short-sleeved home shirt by 10 pr cent from £55 to £60 during the 2018/19 season.

Elite Sports - the club’s online retail manufacturer of Rangers-branded clothing at the time - were selling both products through its Online shop as well as in stores across the country.

Fan media partners are demanding an explanation, with The Four Lads Had a Dream podcast stating the club must reveal who is responsible and why it happened.

A statement on Twitter read: “Rangers must address how this happened & explain this to the support immediately. Who is reponsible & why it happened. Staying silent on it is not an option. Rangers must realise stuff like this is why faith in the running of the club is at a low, explanation is imperative.”

TalkSPORT presenter and ex-Selhurst Park chief Jordan conceded Rangers had been “naughty” but sympathised with the club on the matter.

He said: “It is naughty in some respects, because it’s down to competition and the consumer gets the benefit when they are priced the way you want (the retailer) and you can choose the product at a better price than someone else, and that is the purpose of competition.

“The flip side of the argument, of course, is that people should be able to price things for what they want.

“What JD wanted to do was price it at £60 and so did Rangers. There was an organisation, I suspect, who wanted to price it slightly differently.

“I suspect they forced them by distribution leverage, because JD Sports would have been a significant distributor of Rangers shirts, Rangers of course would be a significant distributor of shirts direct.

“So they forced a competitor into a price fixing point of view, which means the consumer is disadvantaged. Ultimately the cnsumer has to pay one price, there is one price point and you can’t get a better deal.

“There is an argument, and people will say ‘oh you are a capitalist’ but in a free market people should be able to price things what they want, and people should be able to do that.

“But there is an argument to say that when you bring the price down you devalue it. The argument could be, and I’m not saying it is, but football fans are the first to tell people spend your money, buy more players, buy this, increase the wages.

“Some of those things have to be funded by the things that the fans buy. With that in mind Rangers wanted to have a price point of £60, so did JD Sports. But Elite Sports were then forced into that situation and compiled with it.”

Co-host Jim White then intervened by issuing a reminder that it would be the Gers supporters who would feel the effects of the price increase more than anyone else.

Jordan replied: “The flip side of that if Rangers wanted to sell their kit at £60, and Rangers took all that; and JD Sports, which is a commercial organisation wanted to sell their kit at £60, and don’t forget there is a licensing fee (to pay Rangers), but Rangers sell it for £60 they take up a portion of that £5 and it goes to the betterment of the club.

“So they don’t want people at £55. If JD Sports or Elite Sports is selling it for £50 you might not go to the Rangers club shop when you can go down to JD SPorts and buy it for £50.

“It’s a two sided argument, but the purpose of this regulator is to protect the consumer and price fixing is not allowed.”