DAVE KING is '100 per cent certain' that Rangers will be cleared of any wrongdoing after the Competition and Markets Authority released their report into allegations of 'cartel activity' regarding their official merchandise sales.
The watchdog has provisionally found that Elite Sports, JD Sports and Rangers breached competition law by fixing the retail prices of certain Rangers-branded clothing products over several months from September 2018.
In a statement on Tuesday, Rangers insisted they are 'committed to operating its business in full compliance with all laws, including competition law, and treats this matter very seriously' as they prepare their response to the CMA findings.
King was a key protagonist in the lengthy battle with Sports Direct following regime change at Ibrox in 2015 and was chairman during the period where Rangers, JD and Elite have been accused of breaking regulations.
"No," King told Herald and Times Sport when asked if he believed Rangers would be found guilty of any wrongdoing. "I am 100 per cent certain that the Club was not complicit."
The CMA launched a probe into Rangers' dealings with JD and Elite in December 2020 and have accused the sports firms of fixing the prices of replica kits and clothing products in a move that the watchdog claim saw them 'pocket more money for themselves at the expense of fans'.
When asked if he had any knowledge of that agreement between JD and Elite, King said: "I was absolutely not aware and, due to the Club’s prior embarrassments with retail, James Blair and I kept such a tight control over all commercial contracts that I don’t believe it was possible for Stewart (Robertson), or any other executive at the Club, to enter into such an arrangement without my knowledge."
Rangers could face a fine if they are found guilty in the coming months and the CMA noted that 'Elite and JD Sports applied for leniency during the CMA’s investigation and confessed to cartel activity'.
King, who stepped down as chairman in March 2020, labelled the practice of price-fixing as 'shameful' and insists Rangers did not collude with JD or Elite to bring the respective pricing structures into line as fans were charged £60 across the board for replica home shirts.
King said: "Absolutely not true to my knowledge. Based on the hardships that fans had endured I preferred to keep the prices as affordable as possible while still providing a profit for reinvestment into the squad to win 55."
