Cove Rangers handed registration ban until May 2027 over payment and reporting breaches

Cove Rangers have received a season-long registration embargo and a £5,000 fine after an SPFL disciplinary tribunal found breaches involving an overdue player payment and financial reporting. The league confirmed on Thursday that the restriction will run until 31 May 2027, with £2,000 of the fine suspended. The player has now been paid in full.

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According to the SPFL's statement, Cove admitted at a hearing that they had missed a contractual payment and had not notified the league of the default. The club was also found to have supplied incorrect information when declaring that it had no outstanding payments due to current or former players as at 31 January 2026.

BBC Sport reported that Cove described the matter as relating to a contractual payment from 2024 and subsequent reporting issues. In their response, the club expressed disappointment at the severity of the punishment and said they were reviewing the decision and considering their options. That response did not announce an appeal or any other specific next step.

The sanctions come during a difficult league start for Paul Hartley's side. BBC Sport reported that Cove sit second bottom of Scottish League 1, having collected five points from their opening eight matches. They are one point above Queen of the South.

The announcement follows a recruitment move confirmed by Cove on Wednesday, when the club unveiled striker Miller Keir on loan from Inverness Caledonian Thistle until January. In its signing announcement, Cove said the 19-year-old had finished the 2025/26 Highland League season as the division's leading scorer, with 28 goals in 33 league appearances, before joining Inverness during the close season.

Hartley said in that club announcement that Cove had followed Keir during the previous season and viewed the loan as an opportunity for his development. He also identified experienced players Jordan White and Chris Maguire as potential sources of support for the young forward. The SPFL's disciplinary statement did not address Keir's loan or specify how the embargo would affect any individual player.