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PIERRE VAN HOOIJDONK last night claimed Rangers had been guilty of financial doping as he compared them to Tour de France drug cheats.
The former Celtic striker has no sympathy for the Ibrox side after watching them tumble to the Third Division following a financial implosion. The Dutchman was part of the Hoops side that finished second to the big-spending Ibrox club in 1996 – despite losing just one game all season.
Van Hooijdonk claims the sums Gers spent on stars they couldn’t really afford gave them an unfair advantage.
And he reckons that sowed the seeds for their eventual descent into administration then liquidation.
He said: “I’m not sorry for Rangers. I’m sorry for a lot of things missing from Scottish football now.
“But they spent too much. They made their mistakes.
“People can say we went a season and lost once while David Murray was signing players he could not afford.
“I agree. I know why people would say that.
“But is it the same as Floyd Landis winning the Tour de France because of doping?
“Is there a similarity there? If you are number two do you say you should have won the Tour de France? Maybe, I can see why they say that.”
But van Hooijdonk admits Gers haven’t been the only club guilty of overspending.
He said: “In football there are so many other clubs who did the same as Rangers.
“In Spain there are a lot of teams in debt. But in Holland if you are £1million in debt that’s you finished.
“Across Europe there are no rules which say you are allowed to have, say, just £500,000 of football debt.
“It’s completely unregulated. And that’s why football has never been a completely honest competition.”
The 43-year-old believes there should be no forgiveness for clubs in a financial mess.
He said: “Rangers made their mistakes and they have to pay for them – like many other clubs these days.
“I say to my Dutch friends who played for Rangers that they should help.
“We lost two clubs from the Dutch First Division this year. It’s a pity but if you do the crime you must do the time.”
