Rangers owner Craig Whyte believes that the BBC will pay the clubs’ £49m tax bill and has threatened to sack any employee that is in contact with the state funded broadcaster.
On Thursday night the BBC screened a 30 minute programme ‘Rangers-The Inside Story’ during which the respected journalist Mark Daly revealed a number of issues about Whyte’s colourful business background.
Predictably the Rangers owner has threatened to take legal action against the BBC and in his latest outburst the litigation happy venture capitalist is also threatening former Rangers chairman Al Johnston and Robert Burns, head of investigations at the Insolvency Service, with legal action over their contributions to the programme.
The BBC programme carried in full the denial statements issued by Whyte’s representatives but that won’t prevent the man believed to be a Motherwell born billionaire from taking the broadcaster to court.
“To accuse me on national TV of criminality is an outrage,” Whyte told The Scotsman. “I’m suing and maybe the BBC are going to be paying the tax bill.
“It’s outrageous. I actually can’t believe that they went with the allegations they went with. We told them. We sent lawyers letters all week, warning them that these things aren’t true and warning them what would happen if they ran with these allegations.
“They’ve run with things that are totally, completely and utterly untrue. It just proves the case that they are a biased organisation, biased against Rangers. They’ve done it several times this season. They’re completely biased. They did it to Ally McCoist.
“Every time they show something on sectarianism it’s Rangers fans. One has to wonder if there’s institutionalised bias in there. It’s outrageous what they’ve done. Absolutely outrageous.”
He added: “I don’t see any way back for the BBC. No. They’re not going to apologise. As long as I’m here there will be no co-operation between Rangers and the BBC.
“They won’t get any interviews with players or management. As far as I’m concerned, even if somebody speaks to them off the record they’ll never work for Rangers again.
“The BBC are completely, totally and utterly out. They’re not going to get away with it what they did. They’ll suffer the consequences.”
With three different law suits freezing money in Rangers bank account Whyte is undeterred about further legal action and is particularly scathing about the club’s former directors.
He added: “These are guys who have never put anything into Rangers and have taken a lot out, even during the depths of the financial crisis at the club. They could have said we’ve done quite nicely out of this, we’ll walk away and wish the club well.
“People like (Donald) McIntyre outside the court the other day saying he wants the best for Rangers, meanwhile he’s putting a £300,000 arrestment on Rangers and taking us to court, even though he was there throughout all the financial problems.
“When Rangers made the Uefa Cup final (Martin Bain) got the same bonus as the players, £45,000 a man.
“Why would the chief executive be on the same bonus as the players? Anybody who wants money from Rangers I’m going to scrutinise it. Every detail, whether it’s deserved or not. If it’s deserved, we’ll settle and if it’s not we’ll fight it to the death.”
Whyte recently stated in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that he liked to keep his business dealings under the radar.
Despite being greeted as a billionaire when his interest in Rangers first came to light very little is known about his business dealings and his wealth has yet to register on any of The Sunday Times’ rich lists.
Quizzed about his business successes and interests Whyte again became evasive stating: “All that matters is that I’m delivering on what I said I would deliver on. Rangers are in a better place now than they have been in the last three or four years. That’s what’s important.
“As long as I deliver on what I said I would deliver on what difference does it make?
“I’ve got more than 20 other businesses in the UK and across various parts of Europe and I’m involved in all sorts of things. I’m a prolific deal-maker, but the only one you get to hear about is Rangers.
“I’m doing deals constantly. This morning I’m working on a decent size deal with a fairly well-known business but it will never get any attention.”
Whyte refused to give away any details about his business empire and even declined the opportunity to name any of his success stories.
“Good effort but I’m not going to name the companies because that’ll create a level of scrutiny for them and I don’t want to have that,” he responded. “I just want them to get on with business.
“Look, I can’t complain about it because I put myself in the position. David Murray told me what it would be like. I’m fortunate to be in the position I’m in. You know my thoughts, I’m not a publicity hungry type of guy. This stuff doesn’t sit naturally with me. I’m only doing this now because of that BBC thing.“
Adminstration is now being discussed openly as Rangers prepare for the verdict of the tax case with Whyte raising the issue of insolvency while appearing resigned to the possibility of the club going into administration.
“Clearly an insolvency would mean the business would have to go through a formal restructuring,” he explained before going into greater detail about administration.
Whyte added: “Other than a regrettable event in our history I don’t think it (administration) would be as bad people think it might be. But that’s not what I want. It’s something I’d rather avoid, if at all possible.”
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Would you buy a second hand car off him.
me thinks one protests to much. And for all there failings the bbc DO employ liability lawyers and research staff. I really hope motherwells answer to walter mitty spends whats left of the ibrox overdraft on legal fee’s .and the court proceedings are televised by the BBC
That sounds like he is preparing their fans for the inevitable. Their PR machine will then blame everyone and their dog for administration and say the whole world is out to get them.
Watch the siege mentality set in.
That q&a with tom English in todays scotsman must be cringeworthy for any hun
The crap that comes out that man’s mouth,
businesses he’s involved with what does that mean? Obviously the press have done a search of companies house and found nothing it’s as though he doesn’t exist, it’s administration we all know it sooner the better .
Don’t laugh. This is the masterplan, lull the BBC into making a few slanderous accusations…..Then sue them for the sum total of the tax debt!!
Brilliant, the licence payer then foots the bill.
Shouldn’t be too difficult getting 60,000,000 quid damages for libel.
Did he just admit that ranger DO owe the big tax bill?? I thought they did nothing wrong? The truth came out when he didnt mean for it to. So did he lie in this interview about owing the taxes or is be lying to the HMRC??
Haha he’s pretty much come out and admitted what we’ve known all along – they’re going to lose the tax case.
Watch for the establishment closing ranks making sure rangers get every break they need, every point they don’t deserve, and this will all happen openly, blatantly, and with bias, but no-one will be able to do a damn thing about it.
Always remember, there was once a joker stood up in court, admitted to a crime, was proven to have been guilty on video evidence, with testimony from a large number of eye witnesses and credible witnesses, and the jury verdict returned a “not proven” verdict.
This is the country we were born in, and in my 60 years, it has only gotten worse and even more blatant. rangers are going to eb protected, make no mistake. In fact, now is a good time to get money from the bookies by backing them to win the league, the establishment will make sure of it.
Hail Hail…I no longer live in Scotland but I am confident the BBC will have covered their bases and ensured their info was absolutely correct.
Mr. Whyte made me laugh out-loud with his comment “Every time they show something on sectarianism it’s Rangers fans. One has to wonder if there’s institutionalised bias in there. It’s outrageous what they’ve done. Absolutely outrageous.”…A bias against them??? Too funny!
If they cheat they deserve all that’s coming to them.
I would welcome life without Rearangers.
Honesty and impartiality in Scottish football would be a great idea.
If Rangers go to the wall it will, without doubt be bad for Scottish football.
However, who wants a club that cheats openly and brazenly? When they “win” it is shoved down our collective throats with such fervour by the press it’s almost like they know it’s the successful outcome of a planned “sting”.
Bye Bye Strangers or should that be buy buy Strangers for a pound.
If a club played a group of players who was on drugs week in, week out for years on end what would happen?
This is the equivalent of financial dopping!
It has been going on for years and I’m beginning to get a very bad feeling about how this is going to pan out.
If Rangers go into administration can we sue them for the Champions league money that we lost due to them buying and playing players that they could not afford?
Why has minty not been called to task.It happened
during his tenure.Strip him of his knighthood
and throw him in the tower.