Whyte could face ‘fit and proper’ test as SFA seek answers on disqualification

RANGERS last night expressed their confidence that chairman Craig Whyte is fully compliant with the Scottish Football Association’s criteria to be an office bearer for any club under their jurisdiction, after it emerged that the SFA is looking into the matter.

Following Whyte’s personal admission to the stock exchange on Wednesday that he had been disqualified as a director of a company, as revealed in October by a BBC documentary, the SFA announced they were seeking “clarification” on the issue. If the SFA found Whyte ineligible to be a Rangers director, they have the power to ban him for a year.

Under the SFA’s Articles of Association, they reserve the right to rule on whether any individual listed on a club’s official return of office bearers is a “fit and proper person to hold such position within Association Football.”

Among the “relevant facts” listed by the SFA in their determination of such suitability, which they acknowledge as “illustrative and not exhaustive”, is that an individual “has been disqualified as a director pursuant to the Company Directors’ Disqualification Act 1986 within the previous five years”.

Whyte was disqualified as a director of Vital UK Limited in 2000 for a period of seven years. His period of disqualification therefore expired four years ago, within the five-year period indicated by the SFA article. But Rangers contend that Whyte should be assessed on the actual date of disqualification, which was 11 years ago.

A spokesman for Rangers said last night: “At no stage did the club believe there had been a breach of SFA regulations. The club will be happy to provide the SFA with all the relevant information and discuss the matter with them fully.”

Under the SFA’s new disciplinary procedures, introduced at the start of the season as part of chief executive Stewart Regan’s sweeping reforms of the organisation, failure to meet the requirements of Article 10 regarding persons listed on a club’s official return would mean a punishment ranging from a £50 fine up to a £1000 fine and one-year suspension for the individual concerned.

The potential investigation into Whyte’s eligibility was announced by Regan in a brief statement released late yesterday afternoon.

“The Scottish FA has noted the Rangers FC statement to the stock exchange regarding the club’s owner Craig Whyte,” said Regan. “We have been in dialogue with the club on this matter and, in light of today’s developments, have requested clarification by return. We await disclosure of key information before we can make any further comment.”

However, Regan later told BBC Scotland: “Every club in Scotland supplies an official return and, by supplying that official return, they are effectively signing up to the articles of the Scottish FA.

“The rules and regulations are laid out very clearly as to what is and what isn’t allowed as far as company directors are concerned. By signing up to the official return they are binding themselves to the articles of the Association. When anything happens to indicate that a breach of those articles has taken place, that is the point at which the Association gets involved.”