The Scottish Premier League found an ally yesterday in the bitter row with Rangers over the failure to find a compromise to the hectic schedule, when the Dutch Professional League revealed that it would never bend to the will of a club and put back the end of the season simply because of a fixture backlog.

The SPL has been at the centre of Ibrox ire over the last few days, with Sir David Murray, the chairman, condemning the league’s refusal to sanction a second amendment to the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title race in the wake of Rangers reaching the Uefa Cup final. Murray stated that “people around Europe would laugh in disbelief” when hearing of the situation.

Dick Advocaat, the former Rangers manager who is coach to their opponents in the Uefa Cup final, Zenit St Petersburg, also weighed in with his criticism, claiming that Scotland’s football authorities did “not look at the bigger picture”. Ironically, Advocaat’s conspiracy theory has been shot down by his compatriots.

Advocaat took PSV Eindhoven to the several Dutch title triumphs before moving to Rangers in 1998, but the Dutch League insisted yesterday that there is no way that PSV - beaten in the Uefa Cup quarter-finals by Fiorentina last month - would have been allowed any leeway if they had been successful in reaching the final in Manchester on Wednesday.

Renske Briumsma, a spokesman for the Dutch Professional League, which organises the Eredivisie, the top-flight in which Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV compete, said: “Our season always finishes on the agreed date. We make our calendar before the start of the season and if clubs miss games because of the weather, they have to play them as soon as possible after that.

“We have a rule that there must be 48 hours between two games for any team. Drawing up a league season is not easy. We are very scientific about it. We use a team from the University of Barcelona, who draw up the fixture list for us after we have spoken to police authorities and local mayors, as well as the teams.

“We meet with all the teams during the summer before we announced the new list so that they can say if they have any problem with the games they have been given. I don’t think it is fair that any league should be criticised. There are so many things to take into account.

“We don’t really get complaints from clubs that they are playing too many games. That is a risk of being successful. That is a problem and I understand you have it in Scotland, but it is more of a luxury. We would not rearrange the end of the season just because one team has done well. You have to make the same rules for everyone. That is the way it is. Everyone understands it. We get the clubs in early and show them the draft schedule so they can have their say.”

The Eredivisie has adopted a postseason play-off system in recent seasons for Champions League and Uefa Cup places, as well as promotion and relegation. Despite the Nether-lands being burdened by the same weather problems as Scotland, the Dutch have still managed to organise their league calendar to ensure that the last play-off game will be on May 18, to allow the players time to join the national squad ahead of Euro 2008.

That background puts Advocaat’s comments in a different light. The Zenit coach said: “It is incredible what the Scottish authorities are trying to do to Rangers. I know all about Walter’s situation.

“I read what Walter had to say about it last week and thought he was 100 per cent correct. Any other country in the world would do its best to help one of their clubs playing in a European final. But I know from my time in Scotland how things work there. Everyone is only worried about their own interests and they do not look at the big picture.

“The Russian League are doing all they can to help us. It would be much fairer for Walter if he was allowed the same kind of freedom. It’s unbelievable that a club can go to a European final in circumstances like this. Walter and Rangers are not just playing for themselves, they are playing for all of Scottish football. But everyone in Scotland is only concerned with their own interests when they should be thinking about what is best for the country. Walter has worked a miracle to take Rangers this far and should be given support.”

Ironically, another Dutchman with Ibrox connections, Ronald de Boer, has also given evidence about asking for special treatment ahead of European engagements. In April 2003, the former Rangers player insisted that Celtic should not be given any fixture alterations in the title race when they were en route to the Uefa Cup final.

De Boer said fixture pile-ups were part and parcel of being a top European club and advised Celtic to accept their lot. “The date is set and that’s it,” the Dutchman said. “If you look at Manchester United, they played Liverpool then Real Madrid, then Newcastle and Arsenal. They have another game before they play Madrid for the second time, but I don’t see them complaining.

“You have to be happy that you are involved in those games and I would love to be in that position. It could be negative for Celtic, but it could be negative for us if they come through the semi-final and are feeling great.”

Title run-in

May 10
Rangers v Dundee United
Falkirk v Inverness
Hearts v Kilmarnock
Motherwell v Aberdeen
St Mirren v Gretna

May 11
Celtic v Hibernian

May 13
Gretna v Hearts

May 17
Motherwell v Rangers
Inverness v St Mirren
Kilmarnock v Falkirk

May 20
St Mirren v Rangers (rearranged game, postponed earlier in the season)

May 22
Aberdeen v Rangers
Dundee United v Celtic
Hibernian v Motherwell