Glasgow Rangers have announced they will not take up their ticket allocation for February’s Scottish cup match against Dundee United. The action is, largely, a protest at the strong objections from the Tannadice club to the admittance of Rangers to the SPL in the summer.

Charles Green, chief executive of Rangers, said: “Everyone at this club is dismayed at the actions of certain SPL clubs, which were actively engaged in trying to harm Rangers when we were in a perilous situation and we are acutely aware of their attitude to us.

Green added that “feelings remain very raw and it should be no surprise that we as a club feel this way.

"It is unsurprising too that there has been a reaction from our supporters to this particular fixture.”

The decision comes after several Rangers fan groups had announced boycotts of the fixture. A statement from the Rangers Supporters’ Assembly announced: "The Rangers support has waited patiently for the opportunity to send a clear message to those that tried to destroy our club - starve them of their much-needed cash by boycotting this game.”

The issue arises from a belief amongst some of those at Ibrox, both within the club and the fan base, that Dundee United, and in particular their chairman Stephen Thompson, were particularly vocal about the opposition to Rangers joining the SPL last summer. There is also a grievance over the refusal of Dundee United to refund Rangers fans’ tickets after a game in 2009 was abandoned at half-time due to a waterlogged pitch.

Dundee United fan groups have called on the SFA to punish Rangers for bringing the Scottish Cup into disrepute through their actions. The groups released a joint statement, urging the SFA to act against the Glasgow club:

"In a time when Scottish football needs to look to the future and how we can rebuild our game, it's sad that some parties choose to refer to past alleged indiscretions against their club as an excuse to not attend the match.

"As for the decision by the SPL to take action against Rangers in the summer, this was made by the majority of clubs - not only Dundee United.

"We believe that the stance taken by Rangers brings them into disrepute in respect of the Scottish Cup.

"We therefore call on the SFA to act strongly, in particular by stating that the normal competition rules in respect of an equal split of gate money do not apply in this case and that all revenues should be retained by Dundee United."