Craig Whyte reveals he’s ‘still a fan of Rangers’

Craig Whyte arrives at court in London. Picture: PA

Whyte also said it was inevitable that Rangers would return to the top of Scottish football. He was speaking after leaving the High Court in London, where he had appeared for the latest hearing of a legal dispute he is involved in with a ticketing firm.

CONNECT WITH THE SCOTSMAN

• Subscribe to our daily newsletter (requires registration) and get the latest news, sport and business headlines delivered to your inbox every morning

• You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google +

Whyte, 43, had been ordered to pay more than £17 million damages to Ticketus last year. Ticketus said Whyte fraudulently or negligently made representations which induced the company to enter into agreements related to the sale or purchase of Rangers season tickets. Whyte had disputed the claim – but a judge had ruled against him.

Ticketus says the latest stage of proceedings involves its “continued activity to enforce” the damages order.

Whyte had earlier this year failed to attend a hearing. He had been made the subject of a “suspended committal order’’ – under which he could have been jailed if found to be in contempt of court. And a judge had issued an arrest warrant. But Mr Justice Newey discharged that committal order yesterday – lifting the threat of jail – after Whyte appeared in court. Lawyers for Whyte said he had been out of the country and he would co-operate.

The judge said complaints against Whyte would be examined at a later date. Whyte made no comment about the case as he left court. But when asked if he thought that Rangers would return to the top, he replied: “Inevitably”.

And asked if he was still a fan and would always support the club, he replied “of course” and “yes”.

SCOTSMAN TABLET AND IPHONE APPS

• Download your free 30-day trial for our iPad, Android and Kindle apps

• Keep up to date with all aspects of Scottish life with The Scotsman iPhone app, completely free to download and use