Green‘management’is probed
Civil war fears reignited after board agree to scrutinise embattled Ibrox chief executive, writes Richard Wilson
RANGERS fans must feel as though there is no escaping the turmoil. Last year’s emotional upheavals, caused by the financial crisis at their club, werefollowed byatakeoversaga that was enduring, dramatic, and at times perplexing. The support was caught up in a battle of wills, and there is little stamina or resolve for another bout of civil war. Yet they appear again to be in the middle of an internal power struggle.
The board of Rangers International Football Club met for three hours at Murray Park yesterday, with all but one of the seven directors – Charles Green, Malcolm Murray, Brian Stockbridge, Walter Smith, Ian Hart, Bryan Smart and Philip Cartmell – attending in person. They were deliberating over Geen’s use of racist language in a newspaper interview last weekend as well as claims by former owner Craig Whyte that he was involved in the consortium that eventually bought the business and assets of the club last summer.
The outcome was for further scrutiny to be applied to Green and Imran Ahmad, the commercial director, who both dealt with Whyte while their consortium was pursuing a Company Voluntary Arrangement to take the club out of administration. That required Whyte’s shares, and both are adamant they were stringing Whyte along before intending to dupe him.
In the event, Rangers Football Club plc was liquidated, meaning the consortium fronted by Green could buy the club anyway. There is no evidence or suggestion that Whyte has any involvement now, while Green has instructed lawyers in Scotland and England to compile a dossier to hand to police about Whyte’s allegations against them.
“The board is to commission an independent examination and report in view of recent allegations concerning the chief executive, Charles Green, the commercial director, Imran Ahmad, and their management of the club,” Rangers said in a s t a t e ment. “The decision was taken unanimously by those in attendance at [the] meeting including non-executive and executive directors. The independent report will be presented directly to the non-executive directors.
“The chief executive will not be involved in the conduct of the examination. The board is not prejudging any of the issues involved and the object of this exercise is to clarify the situation to the satisfaction of shareholders, supporters, staff and board members. Instructions recently given to lawyers in England and Scotland with a view to taking legal action to challenge these recent allegations will form part of the independent examination.”
Legal and accounting experts will now embark upon the investigation, which will begin as soon as possible. The revelation that it will also focus on “their management of the club” suggests disagreements among board members remain entrenched. Murray and Green are polarised, by their personalities as much as any notion of how to run a business. There is, certainly, a wider issue at play than Green’s recent conduct. Murray has been absent from the public eye, but working in the background. The exasperation for supporters is not knowing what is occurring behind the scenes. There should have been complete transparency following Whyte’s underhand behaviour. The absence of this has allowed the former owner to drive the narrative.
Whyte must always be considered an unreliable witness, given his record for deceit. He is also the subject of investigations into his reign by police and the liquidators BDO, right up to the sale of the business and assets. But he is such a toxic figure to the Ibrox fans that association in itself is damaging. Green, Ahmad and Stockbridge have stabilised the club, raised a significant sum from the Initial Public Offering of shares and generally earned the goodwill of the support. Some of that has now been eroded. At the same time, if Murray has concerns then they need to be dealt with openly. The fans cannot be toyed with again.
An extended conflict will only damage the club and further demoralise the support. If Green remains at Ibrox, he needs to back the manager without reserve. The club requires unity, but Whyte’s reappearance has returned factions of the support to the positions they held last summer: pro and anti-Green.
Green has endured a galling week. Much of it has been self-inflicted, given his revelation he occasionally refers to Ahmad as his “little P*** friend”. He sought to justify the remark before belatedly apologising. He ought to listen to his advisors rather than his own instincts.
“The chief executive apologised unreservedly to board members and the Rangers support,” added the club statement. “Mr. Green told the board that in trying to make a point that he would not countenance any form of prejudice towards employees or players, he exercised poor judgment in the words he chose. The board accepted the explanation.”
A process has been started but, for now, Rangers fans are left in a state of anxiety. That should not have happened after last year.
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