Regan surprised by Green comments

Rangers chief executive Charles Green is in hot water with the SFA
13 April 2013

Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan has branded allegedly racist remarks by Rangers chief executive Charles Green as "surprising" and "frustrating".

Green is facing an SFA charge after being served a notice of complaint and has being given until April 17 to respond, although tonight he "apologised unreservedly" for his remarks.

Regan said: "It's very surprising and it's very frustrating when we are all trying to build a stronger and more positive game for the future.It's not helpful for anybody, irrespective of who it is to be using the kind of remarks that were used at the weekend but we need to give Mr Green the chance to explain himself and that's what we have done."

He added: "We saw Mr Green's comments at the weekend and our compliance officer has chosen to issue him a notice of complaint. We have written to him to ask him for his feedback and asking for the background to comments he made and until we have got that it would be wrong to speculate on what happens next.

"The Scottish FA have a very clear policy about dealing with any racist or discriminatory behaviour and it's in our strategy Scotland United. It's our job to engage with black and ethnic communities to build stronger relationships for the game therefore anything that challenges that is something that we take very seriously."

Speaking in an article in the Scottish Sun on Sunday, Green, a Yorkshireman, said: "I was brought up in a mining community where whether someone was black, white, Catholic, Salvation Army, Protestant, made no difference.

"When I played at Worksop Town, the other striker was 'Darkie' Johnson. Now if I say that today I could go to jail. You know, Imran will come into the office regularly and I'll say 'How's my Paki friend?'"

Following the publication of those comments, Green released a statement insisting that he "deplores" racism and sectarianism, while accusing Show Racism the Red Card - which reported him to the SFA - of a "knee-jerk reaction".

However, the former Sheffield United chief executive appeared more contrite in the statement released on the Rangers' official website which read: "I apologise unreservedly if any offence has been taken by my remark.

"I was actually trying to make the point, albeit clumsily, that I am not a racist. Imran Ahmad is a close friend and business associate and I would certainly have no cause or wish to offend him."

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