PIT’S NOT TRUE
Former Rangers owner says tale about Lord Haughey trying to buy club was inaccurate
Craig Whyte has made a grovelling apology to one of Scotland’s top businessmen over “embarrassing” claims that he tried to buy Rangers.
The former owner of the Ibrox club claimed in his autobiography, Into The Bear Pit, that ex- Celtic director Lord Willie Haughey tried to broker a deal to buy the troubled Glasgow giants.
But Whyte, 49, has now labelled the astonishing claims “inaccurate”.
And fridge tycoon Lord Haughey has dropped threatened legal action against Why te, which included forcing publishers from dropping the claims in future print runs.
His legal team had written to the publishers
Birl inn as well as Whyte, demanding an explanation.
Lord Haughey, 63, said : “No one has believed it.
“I am quite happy to leave it at that. I do not think there will be a second run of the book.” Whyte wrote in his book: “The businessman Willie Haughey called me, saying he was representing Walter Smith. ‘ We want to take your deal out,’ he said.
“If I did a deal with Walter that sorted out the fans, Willie said, referring to the season ticket boycott threat.
“‘ Twenty million and you can have it,’ I said to Willie.
“‘ No,’ he replied. ‘ We’ll only pay what you paid for it.’
“They wanted to buy it for £ 5million. I thought it was a cheeky offer.
“They were just trying to take advantage of a situation where the fans weren’t buying season tickets.
“If they wanted to buy the club they’d have to pay a premium.”
In the apology, which Lord Haughey said was written by Whyte, he said: “In relation to my book, there are a few lines around the time a bid for the club was being discussed in the media.
“I can confirm that any suggestion that you approached me to formally broker a purchase of the club on behalf of Walter Smith is inaccurate.
“I am happy for this email to be reproduced at your instigation if you consider it necessary.
“I do appreciate that you would prefer to keep this confidential and I am sorry for any embarrassment that may be caused by the book.”
Whyte paid former Ibrox supremo Sir David Murray the token sum of £1 to take over Rangers in 2011.
But just a year later, the club plunged into administration and liquidation.
Lord Haughey invested £1million in Celtic and served as a director while the club rebuilt Celtic Park in the 90s.
He remains a shareholder in the club and, together with fellow businessman Sir Tom Hunter, stepped in to support the Scottish Football Association’s purchase of Hampden Park last year.
Birlinn Books declined to comment.