Dave King made a hush hush visit to Glasgow last week but went to great lengths to avoid watching his beloved football institution but went to great lengths to avoid watching them in derby action.
The South African based criminal jetted in to Glasgow on Monday April 24 having been cited as a witness at the Craig Whyte fraud trial then flew home two days later after meeting SFA chief executive Stewart Regan.
Getting a flight a day earlier would have allowed King to take in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic while delaying his return by three days would have enabled him to enjoy the derby match at Ibrox. King has attended one match this season.
Writing in The Telegraph the well connected Roddy Forsyth reveals: “As it happens, King should have been a participant at another high-profile drama which is engrossing Rangers fans. He was cited as a witness in the trial at the High Court in Glasgow of Craig Whyte, who is alleged to have gained ownership of the club by fraudulent means in May 2011.
“His participation was kept quiet in order to avoid what would likely have been intense media and public interest. However, having flown to Scotland the day after Rangers’ defeat by Celtic in the Scottish Cup, King was then informed that his presence in court was no longer required.
“He flew back to South Africa on Wednesday but it is understood that he met Stewart Regan, the SFA chief executive, for an informal discussion on general topics, before heading back.”
There are a number of possible reasons for meeting Regan but two days after the catch up it appears that Sevco have been granted a UEFA licence for next season.
That decision should infuriate the directors of Partick Thistle and Hearts but it seems that the directors of those clubs are prepared to miss out on European football to a rival club that fails almost all licence criteria.
If Sevco play in the Europa League qualifiers there are likely to be complaints from any opponents concerned about facing a club sustained by a multitude of personal loans and unable to produce audited accounts.
Should UEFA decide to step in they can insist that the Ibrox club provide cash flow statements and audited accounts showing that they are on course to break even before they are allowed to participate in any further competitions.
The SFA and SPFL have still to comment on the racist abuse that Celtic’s Scott Sinclair suffered at Ibrox on Saturday. In 2006 UEFA banned the singing of The Billy Boys.