Rangers administration: Campbell Ogilvie won’t quit over Rangers

CAMPBELL Ogilvie has vowed to continue in his role as Scottish Football Association president as he insisted he had no role in “drafting or administering” player contracts at Rangers after the mid-1990s.

Ogilvie has come under pressure after the SFA and then the SPL vowed to investigate the alleged non-disclosure of payments to Rangers players during his spell at Ibrox.

The former Rangers company secretary Ogilvie confirmed he was a member of the Employee Benefit Trust scheme operated by Rangers and which is the subject of a First Tier Tax tribunal which could land the Ibrox club an HMRC bill of £49 million.

However, Ogilvie – who was employed at Ibrox from 1978 until leaving for Hearts in 2005 – stressed he had no role in negotiating player contracts and insisted he is determined to carry on in his role, to which he was elected in June last year following a spell as vice-president. “I look forward to new and exciting challenges ahead at the Scottish FA,” said Ogilvie.

The SFA’s recent inquiry into Rangers briefly incorporated allegations of undisclosed payments to players following claims by former Ibrox director Hugh Adam. He claimed some payments were not included in official contracts that were registered with the football authorities, with the 86-year-old “pretty sure” similar payments were being made as early as the mid-1990s. The EBT scheme ran from 2001 to 2010 and followed a similar offshore payments programme from 1999-2003, which sparked a separate £2.8 million claim from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

Rangers last year conceded this case but Craig Whyte did not pay the sum after taking over in May. The SFA suspended its investigation into the issue after the SPL announced an inquiry into the alleged non-disclosure of payments made to players from 1998, although the main governing body would hear any appeal. In a separate development yesterday, reports that Rangers may not technically be in administration were quickly played down by sources close to the Ibrox club’s administrators Duff and Phelps. It has emerged that the club did not seek the consent of the Financial Services Authority when they went into administration on 14 February as required. A court hearing is planned on Monday to ratify the club’s status, but it is understood the new hearing at the Court of Session is a procedural issue rather than a fundamental problem.

While the past finances of Rangers were in focus, more talks were held over the future ownership of the club. Former director Paul Murray has stressed his commitment to submitting a takeover proposal tomorrow, the deadline for first indicative bids. However, another potential bidder, Sale Sharks owner Brian Kennedy, admits he is “reluctant” to follow through his interest. Kennedy said: “I don’t really want to buy the club, but I don’t want to see Rangers die. If the administrators view my offer as the best one for the club, I’m happy to take it on.”

Duff and Phelps have previously revealed there was interest from the Far East and America.