Second hotel cancels crucial Rangers’ meeting after “threats from persons unknown”
A second hotel has pulled out of the Rangers' extraordinary general meeting, this time with the club citing "threats from persons unknown".
The meeting, which will seek shareholder approval over a requisition order made by former directors Dave King and Paul Murray, had been scheduled to take place at the Grange Hotel at Tower Hill on March 4.
But a day after announcing this latest venue, Rangers has issued a statement saying the hotel has been forced to back out because of threats. It also emerged that this was the reason for the first venue, the Millennium Gloucester Hotel & Conference Centre, cancelling.
The EGM will now be held at Rangers' Ibrox stadium at a date to be announced in due course.
The board said it did not want to hold the meeting at the stadium because in the past meetings have been disrupted by "chanting and other shouting", preferring to opt instead for "a business venue where a meeting could be held with more decorum".
But it had "been thwarted" in its efforts, the statement said.
Tensions are expected to run high at the meeting as King and Murray seek election to the board, and the removal of current members including chief executive Derek Llambias, who was brought on last year by investor and Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley. They are also hoping to have chairman David Somers, finance director Barry Leach and non-executive director James Easdale removed from the board.
Somers became chairman following the departure of former chief executive Graham Wallace in the weeks after Ashley boosted his investment in the club to 8.9 per cent.
The club has also agreed a £10m loan with Ashley.