Sunderland have appointed EBT specialist Martin Bain as chief executive following the sudden departure of Margaret Byrne.
After Adam Johnson’s admission that he had sexual activity with a 15-year-old, Byrne handed in her resignation after the club had defended the former England winger who is now serving a jail term.
Bain was chief executive of Rangers (IL) from February 2005 until May 2011 when he was sacked by Craig Whyte.
The former male model was the key man involved in negotiating the recruitment of players, implementation of the EBT scheme which was concealed from the football authorities and HMRC.
Bain was looked on as a trusted confidant of Dave Murray and worked his way through the ranks at Ibrox after being recruited from Scottish Brewers to become Commercial Manager.
After leaving Ibrox he took up the chief executive post with Maccabi Tel Aviv before today’s appointment by the Premier League side.
Sunderland chairman, Ellis Short, said: “I am delighted to welcome Martin to Sunderland. With his commercial experience, commitment to working closely with local communities and impressive track record of building winning teams on and off the pitch, I know that we have someone that can take us forward.
“Martin will strive to transform our financial performances, which we acknowledge must improve significantly, into a stable and successful model, to give us a club that we and our fans can be proud of. In doing so, he will receive the full support of everyone at Sunderland AFC.”
Bain added: “It is a great honour and privilege to become CEO at a club with Sunderland’s rich history and heritage. I have been fortunate to be a part of a team that has brought great success to two clubs with passionate supporter bases and I am excited by the opportunity to do the same at Sunderland.
“Sunderland fans are recognised as some of the most loyal and passionate in football. The backing they gave the team in the two recent vital home games played an integral part in the victories. Such tremendous support deserves a successful club and that is what we will aim to give them.
“I am looking forward to working closely with the chairman and everyone involved with the club, and will endeavour to do everything possible to help the club to realise its potential.”
During Bain’s reign at Ibrox Graham Souness was paid at EBT while managing Blackburn Rovers.