Rangers brass were quite angry after their side were relegated to the Chilean second division. So angry that they were willing to endanger that country's national team's participation in the upcoming World Cup. On Thursday they decided to drop the case that was to be litigated in the city of Talca, 135 miles southwest of Santiago.
FIFA threatened to revoke Rangers' membership from the AFNP and also remove the Chilean national team if Rangers did not remove this case from the courts by December 3rd. The option of appealing to ordinary justice or government entities is something that FIFA looks down upon and and has already suspended a federation this year as is the case with Iraq.
This all stems from a decision handed down by the Chilean Football Federation (ANFP) after Rangers fielded six foreign players in a match against Cobreloa on November 8th. That match was won by Colbreloa 1-0.
The rules in the Chilean league are that only five foreign players can be fielded by any team at any one time. This rules violation led to a three-point deduction and the eventual relegation of the side from Talca. Once the injunction was made in a local Chilean court, the ANFP decided to halt the semifinals of the post-season.
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