Ally McCoist vows to fight SFA charge over comments

Rangers manager Ally McCoist has vowed to fight a Scottish Football Association charge of bringing the game into disrepute. McCoist was issued with a notice of complaint last Friday relating to comments he made about the SFA’s judicial panel in April.

Ibrox chief executive Charles Green has also been hit with a disrepute charge after claiming bigotry was one of the reasons for Rangers being denied entry to the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. Both had to respond to the charges by today.

McCoist said: “I spoke to our lawyer yesterday.

“I can’t speak for Charles, who is putting a response in today as well, but certainly from my own point of view I’ll be fighting the claim that I brought the game into disrepute.

“I think it’s August 30 the case will be heard.

“At that particular time, there was nobody really standing up for the club at all.

“I just felt, in the position I was in, that I didn’t have any other option than to speak out for the club.

“I stand by it to be honest.”

Meanwhile, the Scottish Premier League has announced that Lord Nimmo Smith will chair the independent commission appointed to investigate alleged undisclosed payments made by Rangers to players.

The Scottish Football Association also appointed Lord Nimmo Smith to chair their own inquiry into activities at Rangers earlier this year.

An SPL statement read: “The Scottish Premier League today announced that the independent commission to inquire into alleged EBT payments and arrangements made by Rangers in relation to players during the period from 2000 until 2011 will be chaired by Lord Nimmo Smith.

“The other members of the independent commission are Mr Charles Flint QC and Mr Nicholas Stewart QC.”