The Ibrox chief executive is seeking an escape route into the English league and has been looking at options, including cross-border leagues, which have been on the agenda within Uefa.

Green, who relaunched Rangers in the Irn-Bru Third Division last summer after the old club was consigned to liquidation, said: "I've had enough indications that Scottish football don't like or don't want Rangers, so I look at other options.

"I have taken legal counsel, because let's really be clear – it is a breach of European competition law to deny Scottish clubs, not just Rangers, any clubs, the right to play in England.

"That is against European law.

"I don't believe that the authorities would stand back and try to ignore that position.

"You just explain to me why a Welsh club can play in the English league but a Scottish club can't."

However, Green refused to answer directly when pressed several times on whether he had held talks with the Football Conference, whose clubs have discussed the issue.

He said: "It is not the day to deal with that but I would be delighted to be the chief executive of Rangers that took them into the English league.

"I don't believe it would be right for Rangers to go in at the top.

"There's no sporting integrity to do that and that's why we accepted going into the third division in Scotland."

see sport - pages 44, 45

rebecca.gray@ eveningtimes.co.uk