Soccer

Whyte 'could not care less' about life ban

Soccer: Rangers’ owner Craig Whyte “could not care less” about his life ban from Scottish football and told the SFA they had…

Tue Apr 24 2012 - 01:00

Soccer:Rangers' owner Craig Whyte "could not care less" about his life ban from Scottish football and told the SFA they had no chance of collecting his £200,000 (€245,101) fine.

Whyte was hit with the most severe punishment ever dealt to an individual in the Scottish game following last week’s three-day SFA judicial panel hearing, which he refused to attend. The charges followed an SFA-appointed independent inquiry, chaired by former judge Lord Nimmo Smith, into the finances of Rangers and the appointment of Whyte as chairman.

That inquiry ruled Whyte unfit to hold a position in the game over his seven-year disqualification as a director in 2000, which he failed to declare until November, six months after assuming control at Ibrox and six weeks after the existence of the ban emerged in a BBC documentary.

Moments after the SFA announced the panel’s findings late last night, Whyte said: “Tell me how it is going to affect me? I couldn’t care less. It makes no difference to my life whatsoever - and good luck collecting the money. It’s a joke.

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He was fined £50,000 (€61,275) for bringing the game into disrepute and was handed three more identical fines on separate counts of failing to follow directions from an SFA tribunal. Whyte, who has been told to pay his fines within 30 days, was also expelled for life from “any participation in Association Football in Scotland.”

A charge of acting in an improper manner and against the interests of football was not proven. Rangers were fined a total of £160,000 (€196,081) and banned from signing players aged over 17 for 12 months after being found guilty of five out of six offences, with the disrepute charge prompting the most severe sanctions.

Rangers administrator Paul Clark accused the SFA of punishing the club for Whyte’s actions, specifically over the failure to pay more than £14million (€17,157,103) in VAT and PAYE since he took over in May last year.

And Whyte said: “It is very harsh on Rangers. I am surprised at how harsh the SFA have been on a club which is going through tough times at the moment. Stewart Regan (chief executive) and Campbell Ogilvie (president) should resign and get out of Scottish football. The SFA want to kick Rangers when they are down and I hope people remember that. They are playing to the media.

Although Whyte announced he was stepping down as chairman when Rangers went into administration in February, he still owns 85% of the club’s shares, which he bought for £1 (€1.23).