Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 6:47 pm Post subject: Scots ban Rangers pair for life
Rangers' Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor have been told they will never play for Scotland again.
The Scottish FA made the announcement because of a weekend drinking session after defeat by Netherlands and V-signs made on the bench against Iceland.
Rangers had earlier on Friday stripped Ferguson of the team captaincy and suspended the midfielder and goalkeeper McGregor for two weeks without pay.
Veteran defender David Weir has been named the new Rangers captain.
Ferguson, 31, and McGregor, 27, have apologised for their actions, but their futures at Rangers could also now be in doubt.
The pair had initially been dropped to the bench by Scotland manager George Burley following the early-hours drinking session at the team hotel following the 3-0 World Cup qualifying reverse in Amsterdam.
SFA chief executive Gordon Smith on Thursday backed his manager's action and suggested that the matter was now closed.But the governing body's president, George Peat, demanded a further investigation in light of the gestures made by the two players while they were substitutes for Wednesday's 2-1 win over Iceland.
And, following a hectic Friday of meetings, phone calls and an apparent flood of complaints from Scotland supporters, further action has been taken by the SFA and Rangers.
"In light of the events of the past 48 hours, and following further discussions between the national team manager and the chief executive, it has been decided that Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor will no longer be considered for international selection by Scotland," said an SFA spokesman.
"This action has been taken in the best interest of the squad, the fans and the country. We are determined to qualify for the World Cup and we must ensure that nothing is allowed to distract us from achieving this goal."
McGregor and Ferguson had earlier on Friday been sent home from Rangers training and later had a meeting with Ibrox chief executive Martin Bain.
Ferguson, who was Scotland captain and has been capped 45 times, told Rangers' website: "I deeply regret what happened last weekend and the events during the last week and apologise wholeheartedly for the embarrassment caused to Scotland, Rangers, both sets of supporters and my friends and family.
"I have always considered playing for Rangers and Scotland an honour and a privilege and nothing will change that and I am bitterly disappointed by the announcement that I will not be selected for Scotland again."
McGregor, who had made his fourth international appearance in Amsterdam after deposing Sunderland's Craig Gordon, was also contrite.
"We all make mistakes in life and I am very disappointed to have let Rangers, Scotland, my family and all the fans down," he said.
"I am also desperately disappointed that I will not be selected again for Scotland at this stage in my career."
Rangers chief executive Bain said that the two players had brought the club into disrepute.
"The management of the club has taken the view that this has damaged both Rangers and Scotland and is unacceptable," he said.
Rangers lose two of their top players at a time when they are chasing Celtic in the race for the Scottish title, but manager Walter Smith said that action was needed, although the drinking session was not his main concern.
"We were unhappy about that situation, but that was something for George to act on," said Smith.
"The more disappointing aspect for us was the subsequent action on the bench on Wednesday night.
"From the club's point of view, that was not a good image to project."
Good I agree it was a disgusting display by the pair of them, when their names were called at Hapden as Subs nearly all the crowd booed.
The trouble is they get paid too much money, they should be playing for the honour of wearing the shirt, not for money !!!! _________________ I fell in with a merry band and drank away the hours................
Alas, Association Football is no longer a sport - it's merely a business nowadays, and the fans get treated like muck whilst being expected to fund the WAG-&-Wanker lifestyles of these nouveau riche Neds.
No time for it myself - I'm a Rugby Union and cricket fan.
Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor
Ferguson and McGregor have been told their Scotland careers are over
Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor will be the only players to be punished as a result of the Scottish FA's investigation into so-called Boozegate.
The Rangers pair were told they would not play for Scotland again after making V-signs while sitting on the bench during the match against Iceland.
Scott Brown, Gary Teale, Alan Hutton and Steven Whittaker were implicated in an earlier drinking session.
But an SFA report will make it clear that they have no case to answer.
Team manager George Burley is also likely to escape censure despite allowing the players to drink but will have to answer questions about the affair when it is raised at Thursday's SFA board meeting.
The drinking session at Cameron House Hotel on the shores of Loch Lomond followed the squad's 0400 BST return from a 3-0 World Cup qualifying defeat in Netherlands.
Food was laid-on for players and staff, while the players were permitted to have a drink.
However, the events that followed led to midfielder Barry Ferguson and goalkeeper McGregor being dropped to the bench for the match four days later against Iceland because of their behaviour.
Many different accounts and claims of what went on have since been reported in the media, leading SFA president George Peat to suggest that action could be taken if other players were deemed to have conducted themselves inappropriately.
However, an investigation has subsequently found that Celtic's Brown, Derby's Teale, Tottenham's Hutton and Rangers' Whittaker were all back in their rooms just after 0800, when bar staff suggested they retire.
Ferguson, who was Scotland captain, and McGregor, who had just deposed Craig Gordon as first-choice goalkeeper, were still up after mid-day and had to be told to go to bed by coach Steven Pressley.
That led to them being disciplined by Burley, who had hoped to draw a line under the affair until the pair made much-publicised offensive gestures to media cameras at Hampden.
Peat ordered a further investigation and the two Rangers players were told that their Scotland careers were over.
At the same time, Rangers announced that both had been suspended without pay for two weeks and it appears likely that they will leave the Scottish Premier League club in the summer.
Ferguson was also stripped of the Rangers captaincy.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Join! (free) 
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
