SHAMED Rangers owner Craig Whyte is expected to duck out of an appearance at Hampden today instead of turning up to face an SFA charge of bringing the game into disrepute.

Whyte's case will be heard by the SFA, but he has not been seen publicly in Glasgow since February 14, the day he put the club into administration.

The SFA has received no indication that he will turn up in person to defend himself or lodge any appeal today.

Rangers face five SFA charges today as well, and also stand accused of bringing the game into disrepute.

They will be represented by club solicitors, director of administration Andrew Dickson and Simon Shipley from administrators Duff & Phelps.

The solicitors will stress that Whyte and Rangers should be treated entirely separately and that the club is in the dock only because of the actions of Whyte himself.

Joint administrator Paul Clark has previously said he would look forward to stating the Rangers case to the SFA and claimed there were mitigating factors which would enable him to "demonstrate the distinction between the club and the actions of any individuals".

If Rangers' guilt is confirmed the club could be hit with sanctions which are suspended, such as a fine which would be payable only when the club is out of administration or in the hands of new owners.

It is expected that a solicitor will represent Whyte and possibly appeal for an adjournment of his case, on the basis that he needs more time to assemble his defence.

Whyte and Rangers both face two identical charges of breaching SFA rule 66 by bringing the game into disrepute and rule 71, which states that clubs and officials should "act in the best interests of Association Football and shall not act in any manner which is improper".

The charges arose from Lord William Nimmo Smith's Independent Inquiry into Whyte's ownership of Rangers.

Rangers face charges relating to not following SFA rules, going into administration, not declaring Whyte had been banned as a director, not submitting their audited accounts in time and failing to pay ticket money which was due to Dundee United for the clubs' Scottish Cup tie.

The Whyte and Rangers cases will take up most of the Judicial Panel's day, but first it will consider Celtic's appeal of wrongful dismissal on behalf of Cha Du-Ri in Sunday's Old Firm game.