FORMER Rangers cult hero Marvin Andrews has emphatically denied doing anything wrong during his time at the club – and claims he paid his taxes and has the wage slips to prove it.
The giant defender, who is a lay preacher, was one of 87 ex-Ibrox players and staff who were named in a BBC TV documentary on Wednesday night. It was claimed in the programme that Andrews was involved in the Employee Benefit Trust scheme (EBTs) which has dragged the club to the point of extinction.
The astonishing revelations claimed more than £47million was paid into the scheme and then divided into sub-trusts for employees from the period 2001-2010. Andrews was said to have benefited to the tune of £316,025 from having an EBT in place.
However the ex-Livingston and Raith Rovers stopper, who signed for Rangers in 2004 and spent two seasons at the club, insists he paid his dues and knew nothing about any financial loopholes.
Andrews is not concerned about the current SPL probe into the use of the monetary scheme which HMRC claim is used for means of tax avoidance and said: “I am not worried or concerned about the furore surrounding the use of EBTs.
“Everybody who played for Rangers during the last 10 or so years is being implicated in this financial offshore account thing.
“I can’t deny or hide the fact that I played for the club during the time in question but I got my salary like everybody else and I paid my taxes as normal.
“I collected my wages at Rangers and have the pay slips to prove it. I could see for myself where the tax had been taken off and everything I had done.
“My main concern was playing football, winning trophies and achieving success for Rangers. I did not know anything about financial loopholes.
“As far as I am concerned I have done nothing wrong and everything was above board.
“I can’t comment on any other stuff that was happening at Rangers during that period because I don’t know for sure what went on. If I make any other comment I would be lying as I do not have the slightest idea what was taking place.”
The 36-year-old deeply religious former Trinidad and Tobago international is aware Rangers are toiling but insists the Light Blues will have to suffer the consequences if they are found guilty of breaking Scottish football rules.
However, he revealed he would hate to see Rangers punished heavily and hit with more severe sanctions and that the sorry saga has reflected badly on the whole of Scottish football.
Speaking at a Show Racism The Red Card event at South Lanarkshire College in East Kilbride, he said: “These are difficult times for Rangers. Things are coming up now about what happened in the past and what the club has done.
“People don’t rate Scottish football and what is happening now with Rangers makes it 10 times worse. I would not like to see them punished heavily for what they have done but I am a man of God and the bible says: ‘You reap what you sow in the world’. If they have done things wrongly and unjustly then they will reap what they sow.
“If they are found guilty of whatever charges then they will have to be punished and pay the penalty for it.
“I would not want to see terrible things happen to the club and not just because I played for Rangers and I am living in Scotland.
“If the club was to fold or be liquidated – which I would not like to see – it would affect the rest of Scottish football.
“I want to see Rangers come out of the situation they are as soon as possible.
“Hopefully things will work out and they can get their books straight and get everything sorted and get the club back to where they belong.”