SFA Judicial panel member speaks out against McCoist

One of the members of the SFA panel that placed a transfer embargo on Rangers has hit out at the actions of Ally McCoist following the decision.

QC Gary Allan was a member of the three man panel that sat for five days reviewing the evidence that led to the transfer embargo.

The option of suspending or expelling the club was open to the panel which looked at a catalogue of rule infringements that led to Rangers being placed into administration in February.

Allan spoke out to  Alex Thomson of Channel 4 news and voiced his unhappiness at the way his name was thrown into the spotlight by the Ibrox boss.

“I was astonished when I saw a recording of Mr McCoist demanding that the names be disclosed and declaring he did not know who they were,” Allan told Channel 4 news. “He felt he ought to know and Rangers fans ought to know.

“I don’t know whether Mr McCoist was lying. That is, of course, a possibility, but I’m happy to consider other possibilities, that he was simply completely misinformed.

“I’m also prepared to consider that he overlooked the opportunity to ask his director of football administration, who was at the tribunal because that gentleman sat across the table from me for five days; engaged in discussions with me for five days; introduced himself to me with a hand shake for five days. As did his solicitor. And as did the representative for Duff & Phelps (the Rangers administrators), who was in attendance each and every day for every session.

“Now, it may just be that Mr McCoist didn’t think about his first port of call to find out who the tribunal members were – he just didn’t think he could ask his director of football administration, or the club’s solicitor, or the representative of Duff & Phelps. Maybe he just doesn’t know how to go about doing these things.

“But I think there is room to think that Mr McCoist’s behaviour wasn’t through oversight, that there was an agenda he worked to. But if there were to be any suggestion that Rangers did not know who was sitting in judgement of them – that would be a completely misleading and groundless suggestion.”