Rangers administration: Rangers fans’ fury forces Craig Whyte away
Ally McCoist takes part in yesterday's Rangers training session. Picture: Getty
RANGERS chairman Craig Whyte has taken a “step back” from the club and will stay away from today’s match at Ibrox, as thousands of fans vent their fury over the Scottish champions’ plunge into administration.
Supporters in the 50,000 sell-out crowd plan to demonstrate before kick-off and during half-time, while hundreds are expected to take part in a march to the stadium organised by fans’ group Blue Order in a show of “strength and unity”.
Mr Whyte yesterday issued a strong denial of any “criminal wrongdoing” and stressed he had “not taken a single penny” out of the business. But he said he would not show face at the match against Kilmarnock.
The beleaguered businessman is facing investigations on several fronts after the Scottish Football Association announced last night it was to mount a full independent inquiry into the activities of Rangers FC.
It will investigate whether there have been any breaches of their rules, adding that attempts to obtain information relating to its “fit and proper person” requirement had been restricted by the club’s solicitors’ failure to share information.
Despite an ongoing investigation by Strathclyde Police and outrage among fans, Mr Whyte said it remained his intention to “safeguard the club’s future”, and he attacked “ill-informed” and “downright malicious” media speculation.
He is expected to stay in London, where he has been assisting administrator Duff & Phelps, and a timescale for his return to Scotland remains unclear. However, one prominent supporters’ group said Mr Whyte had promised to meet them in Glasgow to discuss recent events.
On a fourth turbulent day after the 140-year-old club’s ignominious descent into administration over an unpaid £9 million tax bill, Mark Dingwall, a board member of the Rangers Supporters Trust, said: “What we’ve encouraged fans to do is support the team during the actual game, but if they want to vent their feelings within the bounds of good taste before the game and at half-time, they can.”
Asked whether the demonstrations inside Ibrox would be against only Mr Whyte or also former owner Sir David Murray, he said: “Obviously, events of the last week means there’s a lot of anger against Craig Whyte.”
Mr Dingwall said the trust had an e-mail from Mr Whyte on Tuesday accepting an invitation to meet supporters’ representatives, but the appetite for full disclosure had been increasing among rank-and-file fans. He said. “We’ve now got a lot more information and those questions will be a lot more pointed when we get to talk to him.”
The Blue Order group will gather at Kinning Park at 1:30pm today to march to the stadium. Urging fans to join the march, the group posted on Facebook: “We want to be there early. Please leave that extra pint and come show the doubters that the Rangers supporters are standing together against Craig Whyte in defence of our club”.
Meanwhile, manager Ally McCoist demanded disclosure about what was happening at the club. “I am as surprised at some of the revelations as the next man,” he said. “Of that there is no doubt.
“The one thing I would say to you is that I’m a Rangers supporter and I want some answers.”
However, in a defiant statement on Rangers’ website, Mr Whyte told the side’s “magnificently loyal fans” he had acted with propriety since taking over the club from Sir David last May.
As chairman, he said, he had been “at the centre of this firestorm, and quite rightly so”, but he emphasised his experience in turning companies around.
“The decision to call in the administrators was painful but it was the right thing to do,” he said. “They have promised to publish a full report as soon as possible and I very much welcome that. In spite of the endless speculation and attempts at character assassination by certain sections of the media, I am 100 per cent confident that the administrators’ report will prove that every penny that has come in and gone out of Rangers has been properly accounted for.
“And I wish to state categorically … that I personally have not taken a single penny out of Rangers since I became chairman and have paid all my expenses from my own funds.”
The statement came after former club chairman Alastair Johnston asked the Crown Office to investigate whether there was any evidence of fraud in the takeover deal. Strathclyde Police is also examining the situation at Rangers after being “passed information”.
The SFA said it was “concerned” by the developing situation at Rangers and the “new information” that had come to light since the appointment of administrators.
It said it has been granted “full co-operation” by Paul Clark from Duff & Phelps, but previous efforts to obtain information had been “restricted”.
Stewart Regan, the SFA’s chief executive, said: “I would like to reiterate the need to learn the lessons from this unedifying episode. It is essential that we work together to improve the overall sustainability and competitiveness of the game in this country. This is a matter that the SFA is already in discussions with the relevant league bodies to address.”
In his statement, Mr Whyte insisted any investigation would find he had acted above board, adding: “I have absolutely nothing to fear because any fair investigation will prove that I have always acted in the best interests of Rangers and been involved in no criminal wrongdoing whatsoever.”
He said it was “only right” Duff & Phelps was given time and space to go about its work, and that he would “take a step back from events” to avoid becoming a “distraction” to that process or to McCoist and the team.
In a statement from joint administrator David Whitehouse, Duff & Phelps said Mr Whyte had co-operated, and that his statement brought “further stability to the situation”.
Meanwhile, the investment firm that financed Rangers to the tune of £24m has said it bought the club’s season tickets and did not lend the money.
Octopus Investments clarified its arrangement with the club, through its Ticketus arm, after Rangers’ administrators revealed the money could not be traced in the club accounts, and instead appeared to have gone into the account of a parent company.
Additional reporting by Matthew Coyle
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Comments
There are 22 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
jkwilso
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 03:19 PMEasy to spot the bigots isnt it !. Rangers were advised that they were conducting themselves in a proper manner by very educated people supposedly expert in the Taxation field, it has still to be proven they did anything wrong. What club in this country hasnt paid some boot money at one time to attract a better class of player ?. The non-bigots in the East end should cast their minds back to the "Biscuit Tin " era but then all that was declared wasnt it ?. Wouldnt it be nice if NL said something along the lines of "its not Celtics problem maybe you should ask Rangers to comment, "Walk alone" or "dont walk away" Dont mix bigotory with stupidity or hatred.
Fianna
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 12:02 PM20 - interesting, relevant, and underwhelming.
erramacaroonbars
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 11:47 AMInteresting and relevant article in the sports section of this paper entitled "Key witness says Rangers can still win £50m tax case": http:www.scotsman.comsportfootballsplrangers_administration_key_witness_says_rangers_can_still_win_50m_tax_case_1_2125385
Fianna
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 11:30 AM2 - good point. The decent people of Scotland should hastily organise a campaign to tell the Authorities that we require a consistent approach to taxation. If "deals" are available to some then they should be available to all. Let's all have some of that 10p in the £.
Fianna
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 11:19 AMIs tax evasion dignified?
Frankhiggins07
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 10:12 AMIt has been a black week for Scottish Football we have said for a number of years that there was doom in Scottish Football with early exits from European Competitions failure by the National Team in Championships and now the demise of an institution regardless who you support it is another nail in Scottish footballs coffin what ever happened to the standards and ethics committee who allowed this individual to take over a football club in Scotland when there was so much doubt over the credibility of the deal and individual and for the records I do not support Rangers Football Club I am a Celtic Supporter but more importantly a football supporter .......... Scottish Football needs a strong Rangers Celtic Aberdeen St Mirren Hearts Hibs St Johnstone Kilmarnock Dunfermline Inverness Dundee Untd Motherwell when all is said and done there has been problems at Hearts unpaid wages it is time the SPL got it's house in order and vetted potential buyers of our football clubs
Red Etin
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 09:28 AM"Whyte steps down from Rangers." "Whyte steps down from his companies as he is too busy with Rangers business." That was from the Herald yesterday, same page.
jerrymanders
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 07:43 AM"claim" lol
jerrymanders
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 07:42 AMNeil Lennon has shown a level of dignity that few, if any, can aspire to; certainly not McCoist and Rangers. Despite the bullets and the bombs he has created a fantastic, all encompassing, feeling at Celtic. Only the bigots would disagree, or cliam that tax evaders should be saved.
Colin RB
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 06:07 AMthis case is not doing the reputation of Dickson Minto or Carter Ruck any good at all not the tax advisers who put the employment benefit trust in place I note the purchase documents have been posted on the web at www.rangerstaxcase.com
Huntly Loon
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 05:12 AMScottish football needs to get back to basics. And both the Old Firm need to lead in this. The buying in of overpaid foreign players has not helped the game. They need to bring in home produced players. When you see what Alex Ferguson achieved with Aberdeen in the 1980s, producing a Europe class team from mostly young local talent many young Northeast of Scotland talent. If Celtic and Rangers cannot find young lads in Glasgow and West Central Scotland and turn them into world class players like the Spanish or the Italians then we really should not be considering ourselves a footblall nation. Rangers needs to turn this momment of crisis into an opportunity to improve the game in all of Scotland and to set the example for others. We will always have teams play in Europe. But we need to do it from scratch. Not buy in players from elsewhere as a shortcut. Because neither Rangers or Celtic or any other time can compete with the chequebooks of the Man Uniteds, the Chelseas, the Barcelonas or the Real Madrids of this world.
bridgetthecat
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 03:54 AMDon't like football and I hate the Old firm. However maybe, just maybe Scottish football can turn this around to it's advantage. I've always said it is wrong to spend millions on overseas players and not get the local talent up to standard. Maybe if Rangers and Celtic had invested in youth years ago we would have a decent Scottish football team by now.
BigPete
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 10:02 PMWhen is Sir David "Manky" Murray, going to send his gong back? He does not deserve to be honoured by the Queen because he is a disgrace to Scotland and the honour that he clings to. Has the Queen any discretion, maybe an ancient right to shoot the likes of Manky Murray, for things that they have been alleged to have done in the UK that we do not approve of? It would be very nice to hang Manky Murray and his goons without a trial, but, they would say that we were just like them, making the rules up as we went along. On the other hand do these people deserve the rule of law that they would deny us so that they can make money? Does "Manky Murray" rule the UK, or, is it us?
BigPete
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 09:17 PMMcCoist will do anything to save HIS job. So what? He likes the taste, always did ...
Phil C
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 08:48 PM#7 The Lard... Neil Lennon doesn't once appear in the above report. Your venom should be directed at those who have brought impending disaster to that bastion of bigotry you call home. ................................................................If one penny of tax due is not paid then RFC should be closed down and stripped of any assets which could help pay the bill. Anything less than that would be a travesty and an open invitation to other club owners who have gone in above their means!
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