As Rangers attempt to circumnavigate the hurdles in their way during what could yet be the greatest season in the club’s storied history, the last thing anyone needed, nor wanted, was a divisive controversy distracting focus from what could be an unforgettable period.

On the club’s 150th anniversary, 50 years on from triumph in Barcelona, the league remains in their hands while a European final is tantalisingly close. Immortality potentially beckons.

And yet the flow of anticipation and joy that should be transferring from the club to the supporters has been stemmed by a controversial decision at board level to agree to a lucrative ‘friendly’ against Celtic in Australia. If there was a sense that opposition to the Sydney Super Cup may have been something of a social media phenomenon, chants of “you can stick your fucking friendly up your arse” ringing round grounds across the country quickly offered a sharp dose of realpolitik.

At Dundee on Sunday, the dissatisfaction went a stage further as fans disrupted the pivotal game on three separate occasions with toilet paper, ticker tape and even tennis balls.

Rangers supporters don’t tend make such gestures on a whim so it’s a notable demonstration of unease that can’t easily be dismissed.

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While it was revealed yesterday that Dave King has offered to personally pay the cost of pulling out, this seems certain to be rebuffed given the obvious discord between those within the Ibrox corridors of power and the former chairman.

Aroused passions and competing interests make this topic a difficult one to address coldly.

However, as it stands, everything points to the Sydney Super Cup being increasingly unlikely to go ahead as an Old Firm event.

In news that had sports news desks scrambling across the central belt, New Zealand based sports Journalist Jason Pine tweeted last week: "Hearing football’s Sydney Super Cup may be in serious doubt. Unresolved issues with organiser escalating behind the scenes according to local sources. Launch may have been premature.”

The Rangers Review understands this is an accurate reflection on where things currently stand and communication with TEG Live Sport & Lifestyle, the company used by the New South Wales Government to manage the event is ongoing.

A clear indicator of the current position of Rangers can be seen in the contrast with rivals Celtic who have promoted tickets for the event in the days since it was announced on social media and their website.

The Ibrox club remains inactive in this regard with nothing on their various platforms to showcase the availability of briefs. And while the club’s silence could be taken as a steadfast refusal to countenance wavering from their initial decision, the other more conceivable scenario is the board are involved in legal talks over their involvement they can't yet speak about.

It will be of no surprise to anyone there have been a number of issues over the way the tournament has been handled. They began when Celtic’s involvement was suddenly announced, over a week prior to the expected date. This left the Ibrox club on the back foot with the event was quickly branded as “Ange’s Australian Homecoming”.

This will have been a frustration to the club given conversations over a financially lucrative match in Australia have been going on behind the scenes since 2019, long before Celtic moved to appoint Ange Postecoglou as manager.

Looking at the way the games have been marketed, it doesn’t take a genius to work out where there will be concerns over how the match has been pitched to the public.

And it’s understood the use of the ‘Old Firm’ brand that both clubs own the trademark to is at the centre of issues.

The two clubs renewed their deal in March 2021 with both “Old Firm” and “The Old Firm” covered.

The "Old Firm" trademark - under number UK00002264673 - dates back to 2001 – while "The Old Firm" - given number UK0002181523A - was first agreed in 1998.

It appears a difficult situation for the promoter who is piggy in the middle and has to make sense of the reality that the use of ‘Old Firm’ or ‘Glasgow Derby’ will likely upset one half of the fans they are looking to sell tickets to.

Another element unfolding is the city's readiness for what would be a powder keg fixture, unlike any other derby they have seen.

It’s fair to say Australian football culture is much more collegiate than the version we have in Scotland. A 7:30pm kick-off time leaves all day free for drinking and given the country’s more permissive drinking laws in stadiums, you can even enjoy beer, wine or spirits in the ground.

The Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Minister for Tourism and Sport and Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres took an interesting approach to crowd safety when asked about the issue at the launch event.

Ayres said: “We’ve got a long runway, the event’s in November, we’ll do a lot of clear messaging around ticket sales and expectations of fan behaviour: come along, have a great time, just don’t be a dickhead.”

An alternative take could be found on Aussie football podcast Born Offside.

One of their pundits admitted: "I hope they know what they're getting into because the New South Wales Government has bankrolled this. This isn't Roosters vs Souths (Australian rugby rivalry), where you and me can rock up in different jerseys.

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"You can't drink in Scotland (at the match) so people are going to be going there on a Sunday night, saucing themselves into oblivion the whole day. They're going to need thousands of cops there and it's going to kick off, proper."

It’s clear the myriad security elements that make up an Old Firm match day in Scotland will have to be recreated in Sydney, especially if the Accor stadium is filled to its 83,500 capacity.

Scottish police are well versed in potential flashpoints having had decades to get used to the idiosyncrasies and complexities of such a challenging fixture.

The organisers will have to make sure they are facing up to the transport, ticketing and security situation now facing them, a scenario far more nuanced than what may have been initially envisaged.

The hope and a prayer “Don’t be a dickhead” messaging will certainly not be enough to keep those attending as safe and secure as they are in Glasgow. That will be the unenviable job of the authorities.

All of this could lead to three potential avenues of resolution.

1. Come to an agreement to make the tournament work for all parties.

2. Split from the agreement mutually and walk away.

3. Both parties begin legal action

This third option would surely be strenuous and difficult for all concerned and potentially counter-productive for the organisers of the event.

Given the New South Wales Government’s reason to create the tournament in the first place is to boost tourism, there may be a lack of appetite for such a dramatic choice, especially when any action could threaten the public purse.

It’s also been little reported that the Sydney Super Cup is a bi-annual event that will take place again in 2024 with undecided teams. How would the sight of the organisers becoming embroiled in a complex legal dispute with a top European club look ahead of their ambitious plans for the future?

And Ayres has already made it clear the larger plan for the New South Wales area as a tourist destination post-Covid lockdown is paramount.

He said: “The NSW Government is focused on delivering marquee events like the Sydney Super Cup that capture the world’s attention, drive the NSW visitor economy and build Sydney’s reputation as the major events capital of the Asia Pacific.”

Perhaps this is why veteran talkSPORT broadcaster Jim White said on Tuesday: “The intelligence I’m getting on this one is that down under now the organisers are thinking [it’s too much like hard work], yeah.

“There could well be a reason of timing, there might be some other reason but they might throw it into the mix that it seems as if it may not be taking place.”

All this seems to bode well for Rangers’ chances to extricate themselves from this mess sooner rather than later.

However, it seems just like the team itself, a few hurdles will have to be overcome before they are free from a situation everyone involved in will wish they could consign to the dustbin of history sharpish.