Former Rangers chairman Al Johnston has blamed the SFA for the problems at Ibrox.
Yesterday the SFA published the scathing details of an enquiry that led to them issuing a 12 month transfer embargo and £160,000 fine as well as a lifetime football ban for Craig Whyte.
Johnston was a member of the Rangers takeover panel but despite issuing a statement of concern on the day that Whyte bought Rangers the US-based businessman remained on board until he was sacked alongwith Martin Bain.
As a director Johnston had a duty of care to shareholders but blames the SFA for the state that Whyte has put the club in.
“All information we received independently was passed on to David Murray as the seller of the shares,” Johnston told the Daily Record. “All our concerns were expressed to the Murray Group and the one person who could actually act on them.
“I’d throw it back to the SFA. At no point did we receive a call asking for any information about Whyte. They did not reach out. If they had we would have been happy to share what we knew.
“The SFA sat back so far they might as well have not existed. Why didn’t the SFA ask why board members were sacked or felt forced to resign? We spoke publicly and loudly about our concerns.
“Do the SFA not read papers or watch television? That’s bull****.
“If they wanted to pick up the phone we would have been happy to talk but they showed no interest whatsoever.”
Johnston added: “The SFA punished Whyte and acknowledged he was responsible for approving payment of every bill from Dundee United’s ticket money to the local newsagent.
“How can they turn around and also find Rangers guilty? Rangers were, are and always will be the victims in all of this.
“The SFA’s actions against the club are akin to someone being murdered and their family being told it was all their fault.
“I feel sorry for Dundee United and Hearts – and everyone else who wasn’t paid – but the biggest victims of Whyte’s malfeasance were Rangers themselves.
“For the SFA to then find Rangers guilty is diabolically incongruous. It’s just not logical.”
Johnston’s fellow directors John McClelland and John Greig remained on the board at Rangers until October but have never gone public on their reasons for resigning.
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It’s never anyone else’s fault with those moral bankrupts.
Ahem! I’ll rephrase that – it’s always someone else’s fault with those moral bankrupts!
The plan of letting someone else take the rap for the sh*t thats happened at snake mountain for the past 10-15 years hasn’t worked Alastair has it. But tune hasn’t changed much even though the can of worms is open for the rest of the world to see. Big boy done it and ran away! What the f**k happened to self accountability. Doesn’t happen down Govan way though does it. Bye bye Rangers bye bye
if u were so damn concerned, y didn’t you just call the SFA & give them your opinion u muppet. or were u still milkin the club at this stage with ur over-inflated wages?
for all the right wing nazism, these animal’s sure can be big babies when they spit their dummies out.
“They didn’t reach out”. Does he think this is California ? More ‘dignified’ buck-passing, blame-dodging, and truth-bending.
Their obsession with using words like ‘dignity’ is becoming more laughable by the day.
Why didn’t Johnston highlight his concerns about Whyte and point things out to the SFA?
As a former chairman why didn’t he raise his concerns about the non-appearance of audited accounts since 31 December 2010?
Johnston is as guilty as anyone for the fiasco at Rangers this season.
If any Celtic director suspected something similar going on at our club I’d expect them to raise the issue as publicly as possible.
Stupid, stupid huns. From the top to the bottom, heads in sand, every single one of them living in denial. You are where you are because of the legless wonder and his gang of thieves and cheat’s.
Its time for justice…its time they were put to the sword.
They really are the bottom of the barrel.
“Not guilty, m’ lud!”
“Sir, I have unequivocal evidence and millions of witnesses to your crimes. You were there and you took part in them. How can you claim to be innocent?”
“It just wisnae me, ye’r honur, ‘n it wis really him ‘n a’ them ithers ‘n they b*****ds from the East. Aye, it wis them got us intae it. If ma pal Davy-boy hidnae hid tae git the better ae them then we widnae ae hid tae dae a this ‘n we wid be a’right as usual ‘n onywy, mind yersel’. We’re the ‘peepil’ ‘n wiv a’ways bin daein it ‘n naebody’s hid the guts tae dae onythin’ so why you now? Watch it ‘r w’ll git the boys ontae ye”
“Mm. Perhaps you have a case. I agree with you Mr. Johnston, sir, it was not your fault. I have no idea whose it was but I will blame Mr. Whyte alone and link him to a few Tims to prove my case. I am sure I will be on safe ground with the SMS to include Lennon somewhere in it. You are free to go now but try and be a good boy unless you feel the need to be bad or those Eastenders need put in their place again. Oh, and could I ask you not to pull your trouser leg up in court, please. It might create suspicion and more paranoia among the Tims.
I think it is only just that I come to an unbiased and honest decision. Case dismissed. Please take your goat and those lads with the swastikas with you on your way out”.
21st century ‘Whyted’ sepulchres,the lot of them!
H H
Another day of blaming everyone & anyone when all they have to do is LOOK IN THE BLOODY MIRROR! It has pretty much been proved they were NOT duped but still no blame on anyone at Ibrokes except Whyte (the only honest person left there, ok maybe he’s not) Moonbeams 20 years of brainwashing would make the North Korean leaders proud, they are still pointing fingers at others. Their club has always been in the gutter but hopefully they’ll be flushed away with all the other crap.
On a brighter note enjoy tomorrow party time jelly & ice cream all round.
It wiznae me it wiz them. We r the victims. We r aw foo o too much dignity te dae aw these bad things the SFA kent whit we wur dayin sw alang n didny dae onything so its thair fault and wee arry peepol n’ that no?
Stand up and take responsibility for YOUR actions Johnston….No blame can be laid at the SFA’s door or anyone else. It was 100% Rangers fault….the EBT’s, dual contracts and selling to Crook Whyte after over 5 months negotiations.
Johnston even told Whyte about the Arsenal shares, which has also been greatly overhyped.
Greig still has his £ 100k tax free in his back pocket…no wonder he walked.
Your club will be NO LOSS whatsoever to the Scottish game…Crook Whyte has done our game a service.
So now Greene is the new interested bidder for Whyte’s shares does that means Rangers future is relying on Greene & Whyte?
When you belong to a secret organisation then sometinmes it is difficult to speak out unless you blame somebody else.
Johnson is a person who beleives in secrecy, the privilege of class society and keep the peasants in the dark and feed them bullshit.
This is unless you can change the focus of the peasants attention.