David Murray says sorry over disaster of Rangers sale

The erstwhile proprietor of Rangers, Sir David Murray, has apologised to fans for his portion successful nan financial calamity that befell nan nine much than a decade ago.

Sir David, who sold nan Ibrox broadside for £1 to businessman Craig Whyte, presided complete Ibrox erstwhile nan nine gave £47m successful tax-free loans to players and unit betwixt 2001 and 2010.

Under Mr Whyte's ownership nan Rangers business went into liquidation successful 2012 - a twelvemonth aft nan sale.

In a wide-ranging question and reply pinch nan BBC to people nan publication of his autobiography, Mettle, Sir David said he regretted his decisions and said sorry to fans and nine staff.

"Of people I'd apologise," he said. "I'm not 1 of these group who tally a institution and hide.

"It was a unspeakable moment, and I apologise to each nan staff, bully people, and I cognize galore of them to this day.

"I'd dream successful hindsight, they look astatine nan facts and deliberation I was put successful a very difficult position."

What was known arsenic nan 'big taxation case' centred connected nan club's usage of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs).

EBTs, which were besides utilized by different clubs, enabled Rangers to salary £47m to players, managers and board betwixt 2001 and 2010 successful tax-free loans.

HMRC based on nan payments were net and should beryllium taxable.

Two tribunals successful 2012 and 2014 had antecedently recovered successful Rangers' favour but nan Supreme Court ruled successful favour of HMRC aft an entreaty successful 2015.

The lawsuit unfolded against a backdrop of financial meltdown for Rangers.

Years later, Mr Whyte was charged and cleared of taking complete nan nine by fraud.

A tribunal heard that his takeover of Rangers was sealed pinch a lb coin being tossed crossed a array successful Sir David's office.

At nan time, Mr Whyte had agreed to return connected obligations which included paying an £18m slope indebtedness and £5m for players.

Sir David denied failing to transportation retired owed diligence connected Mr Whyte, saying: "I went connected nan facts successful beforehand of me."

Challenged connected whether it was morally acceptable to deprive nan NHS and different nationalist services of costs truthful millionaire footballers could salary little tax, Sir David replied: "They didn't do thing illegal."

"Footballers are getting paid excessively much. Not conscionable astatine Rangers, everywhere," he went on, adding: "It's avoidance. People do that."

Sir David denied that nan trophies Rangers had won successful this play were tainted by nan taxation arrangements and besides denied that nan strategy amounted to buying success, aliases financial doping.

"Not astatine all," he replied, adding: "It was proven successful nan extremity it wasn't an forbidden taxation scheme."

Sir David made his sanction successful nan alloy industry, forming nan institution Murray International Metals Limited by nan property of 23.

In 1988, he purchased Rangers for £6m and went connected to spot nan nine triumph 15 convention championships and 20 home Cups.

He and head Graeme Souness signed nan club's first high-profile Catholic subordinate since World War Two - Mo Johnston, who antecedently played for Celtic - successful 1989.

Reflecting connected sectarian tensions successful Glasgow, which he described successful his book arsenic "vitriol", Sir David said nan continued singing of sectarian songs astatine Ibrox was not acceptable.

"There's nary spot for that successful society," he said. "I don't deliberation it's correct and I've said that and I mislaid immoderate of nan support of nan Rangers fans by saying that."

The businessman besides called for an enquiry into nan Scottish government's involvement successful nan waste of 2 alloy processing plants successful Lanarkshire to nan tycoon Sanjeev Gupta.

The waste was backed by a £7m support package from nan Scottish government.

Sir David claims ministers rejected his rival bid to acquisition nan business because it was perchance incompatible pinch authorities assistance rules, and criticised Mr Gupta's guidance of Liberty Steel successful nan years since.

The Scottish authorities it had "acted quickly" to support nan transaction, adding: "This involution sustained complete 100 jobs astatine Dalzell and retained steelmaking capacity successful Scotland."

Sir David was besides captious of nan business policies of some nan Scottish and UK governments saying: "It's ridiculous that Britain does not person nan capacity to make a alloy sheet for its defence."

Elsewhere successful his book, Sir David describes successful item nan car mishap successful 1976 that led to his legs being amputated astatine nan property of 24, a twelvemonth aft founding his metals business.

On nan measurement location from a crippled of rugby successful his fibreglass Lotus, a tyre blowout sent him disconnected nan roadworthy and into a tree.

Sir David described really chap rugby players stopped to thief him, utilizing their ties arsenic tourniquets earlier he was taken to infirmary for life-saving surgery.

"None of america cognize really reliable we are until nan clip we find retired really reliable we are," he said.

"I had a young boy of respective months aged and a boy of two. I'd a young wife. My begetter had conscionable passed away. I could only spell 1 way. I couldn't fail. I person a responsibility," he added.

Another section successful nan autobiography is dedicated to Sir Sean Connery, who was a adjacent friend of Sir David's.

The book describes really nan brace travelled to Dunblane successful nan aftermath of nan execution of 16 children and their coach successful nan Scottish municipality connected 13 March 1996.

"It was aft nan unspeakable news up location that Sean wanted to sojourn it. And I took him up pinch immoderate flowers, and softly he stood for a infinitesimal and put immoderate flowers astatine nan schoolhouse gates. A very difficult moment," said Sir David.

"He was specified a patriot, Sean. He took an liking successful Scotland each time and he conscionable wanted to beryllium there."