Under-fire Livingston shareholder Neil Rankine has insisted he is not pulling any strings at East Fife, despite facing an SFA investigation into claims he holds interests in the Methil club.
Fans concerned at the Bayview club’s direction of travel have claimed Rankine somehow holds sway at East Fife through named majority shareholders Lorraine Johnston and Samantha Twigg.
The situation has seen Livingston, where Rankine is a co-owner, hit with a notice of complaint by the Scottish FA for failing to disclose Rankine’s interest in both East Fife and Dumbarton, and facing a disciplinary hearing on September 10 for five alleged breaches of SFA ownership rules.
But, speaking to Courier Sport ahead of the hearing, the former Dumbarton chairman denied the alleged link to East Fife.
He said the only advice he had given the Methil club was a recommendation to now ex-chairman Lee Murray about a managerial appointment.
“There is no one in Methil whose strings I have pulled or even attempted to pull,” he said.
“I gave Lee Murray one piece of advice: hire Gary Bollan, who was unfairly sacked at Livi. But he chose a taxi driver instead. End of advice.
“I don’t even pull any ‘team’ strings at Livi, as seen with them firing Bollan unfairly when they should have waited for compensation as he would have moved on to bigger clubs.
“I help as an unpaid consultant on stadium and strategy matters at Livingston because I have 30 years’ experience and many football club officials keep in touch with me for advice.”
He added: “In my early Dumbarton days, after having put substantial sponsorship money into Falkirk FC and other local teams, I got my football education from Jack Steedman and Bill Barr. Jack taught me how to run a football club as a business and Bill Barr how not to.
“Dumbarton were £500,000 in the red and had an unsafe stadium when I sold it, it had a new stadium, no debt and well over £100,000 in the bank.”
Mr Rankine claimed former East Fife chairman Bruce Black needed “substantial funds” to save the club from folding in the early 2000s, so he “encouraged” the Johnston Twigg family to invest.
He claimed the family had been expecting “realistic” offers to sell for the last seven years, and said a £600,000 buyout deal to be paid over 12 years had been agreed last summer with a consortium led by former club physio Brian McNeill.
He said that “seems to have been scuppered”, adding his solicitors have advised him to “not assist or advise in any capacity” after the pending SFA complaint was lodged.
But he said he “never had or will have any shares or loans” relating to East Fife, and hopes to draw a line under the continued speculation.
“I have never married and have no family relationship with the Johnstons or Twiggs indeed I am engaged to the second largest shareholder at Livingston FC,” he said.
“I have had a past personal relationship which is over, and indeed also sold Mr Johnston Sr some seaside holiday property which he can’t now give away after dealing with their family for many years in the antiques trade.”
The SFA allege Livingston failed “to act towards the Scottish FA with the utmost good faith by not disclosing to the Scottish FA that Neil Rankine, shareholder of Livingston 5 Ltd, the parent company of Livingston FC, also holds interests in East Fife FC and Dumbarton FC”.
The governing body also say the club provided “false, misleading and/or inaccurate information in respect of Neil Rankine’s eligibility as a fit and proper person” in 2013 and that Livingston had failed to “specify Neil Rankine” on the club’s “official return”.
By continuing to “hold interests in East Fife and Dumbarton in addition to his shareholding in Livingston”, the SFA also say the East Lothian club “holds power to influence the management or administration of those two aforementioned other clubs”.
The final alleged rule breach charges Livingston with “not acting in the best interests of Association Football” by not disclosing Mr Rankine’s alleged interests in East Fife and Dumbarton.