RANGERS and Newcastle United will not be allowed to compete in European competition at the same time due to Mike Ashley's increased influence at Ibrox.

The billionaire grabbed effective power of Rangers earlier this year after agreeing a £2million bail-out loan and has subsequently given the Championship club a further £1million.

In return for his initial deal, Ashley has installed former Toon chief executive Derek Llambias and Barry Leach of Sports Direct at Ibrox as he has increased his holding in Rangers to around 9%.

Ashley claimed a few months ago that he would not sell his Premier League side 'at any price' until the end of next season at the earliest.

That is also when Rangers could be looking to get back into continental competition but Uefa have now confirmed that the Light Blues could miss out.

Should one club qualify for the Champions League, the other would be banned from playing in the Europa League because they could meet in the knock-out stages.

But if both were to qualify for the same competition, Champions League or Europa League, it is the club with the higher Uefa seeding that would be given the coveted Euro place.

At present and in the short-term, that is a blow to Rangers, who are currently in 101st place in the list while Alan Pardew's side, currently sitting fifth in the Premier League, are 65th.

Having a European platform for his business empire was thought to be one of the main reasons behind Ashley's increased interest at Ibrox.

That prospect has been dashed and confirmation from Uefa will infuriate fans in Glasgow and England's north east, many of whom are already unhappy at Ashley's influence at their club.