Green makes 'bigotry' claim

Green's Sevco consortium purchased the assets and business of Rangers when the club was consigned to liquidation over the northern summer.

SPL clubs then voted against the newco being admitted to Scottish football's top flight, before Scottish Football League sides voted in favour of the Glasgow giant playing in the Third Division, rather than Division One.

Green told BBC Scotland: "Some of it has been driven by bigotry, some of it's been driven by jealousy and some of it's been driven by all the wrong motives."

Asked to expand on what he meant by bigotry, Green said: "We've got a position whereby Rangers were thrown out of the league and these clubs are still appealing with fans to buy season tickets.

"What's happened with Rangers, as an outsider looking in, although I am now an insider, is absolutely incredible where it seems to me the whole of Scotland have wanted to kick this giant club while it was down.

"I think justice has been done. The club were fined 10 points, it received a £190,000 ($285,356) fine, it was then put out the SPL, it was then put down to the Third Division, it has had to pay all the Scottish club debts, which wouldn't normally happen for a newco to be obliged to pay oldco's debts.

"We're also now paying European debts and there is still a potential cloud hanging over the club from the SPL over EBT issues.

"I had meetings last week with some UEFA officials who say this is unprecedented in Europe."

Rangers played its first competitive match of the new regime when it claimed an extra-time win over Brechin City in the Scottish Challenge Cup.

The game was given the go-ahead on Friday night when the club was granted conditional Scottish Football Association membership.

Green said: "My frustration's been, after 30 years of business, I have never experienced anything like the last three months.

"Some of the business decisions that have been made really have been nonsensical from a business point of view.

"One of the meetings I went to, one of the reasons why SPL chairmen were under pressure to do something with Rangers was they [fans] wouldn't buy season tickets until Rangers were thrown out of the league."

The SPL was unavailable for comment when contacted by Press Association Sport.