Cove Rangers have been handed a season-long transfer embargo after admitting to a number of rule breaches, the SPFL has announced. The League One club faced a tribunal following failures related to a historic contractual payment to a player.
Rule breaches admitted
The club admitted at a hearing that it breached SPFL rules by failing to make a historic contractual payment to a player when due, and then failed to notify the SPFL that it had been in default of that rule. Cove Rangers was also found to have provided incorrect information to the SPFL when it certified that it had no overdue payables to current or former players as at 31 January 2026.
Following these breaches, the tribunal imposed a registration embargo that will remain in place until 31 May 2027, along with a fine of £5,000, of which £2,000 is suspended.
Club response
The club has now made full payment to the player involved. While under the registration embargo, Cove Rangers requires SPFL approval for any new registrations.
A statement from the Balmoral Stadium side read: "Cove Rangers FC acknowledges the SPFL’s decision concerning a historic contractual payment from 2024 and subsequent reporting matters. The Club is disappointed by the severity of the sanctions and is carefully reviewing the decision and considering all available options."
