Rangers star duped into admitting he's only at Ibrox 'for the money' in astonishing 23-minute phonecall to prankster Glasgow cabbie (who just happens to be a Celtic fan!)
Listen to full recording of telephone conversation here
- Francisco Sandaza admits he'd be keen on big-money US move
- Spanish striker candidly reveals his £4.5k-a-week salary details
- But star pleads with fictional agent not to alert club to plans
- Prankster named Tommy has caught out Scottish football figures before
By GRAEME YORKE
Rangers striker Francisco Sandaza has apparently been tricked by a Glasgow taxi driver into admitting he only moved to Ibrox for the money.
In a phone conversation, which was recorded for 23 minutes, Sandaza revealed details of his salary to a cabbie named Tommy, who was posing as a Los Angeles-based agent. The taxi driver is a known prankster, who has duped footballers before.
The Spaniard also complains at the standard of football in Division Three claiming: 'I didn’t sign for the level, I signed for the money. I’ll get another contract after Rangers.'
Scroll down to listen to the full recording...
Blues brother: Rangers' Sandaza (left) battles with Annan's Michael McGowan
Bad call: Francisco Sandaza has been tricked by a Celtic supporter posing as an agent working in Los Angeles
Who is Francisco Sandaza?
Born in Toledo, Spain in 1984, Sandaza started out with Valencia reserves before signing for his hometown club.
He moved to Dundee United in 2008 and scored 10 goals (five of them against the Old Firm) in his first season.
Groin and hernia problems hampered his progress and he signed for Brighton in 2010 after an unsuccesful trial at Swansea.
He was released after one season and signed a one-year deal with St Johnstone.
Twelve goals in 17 appearances tempted Rangers to make a pre-contract offer but he turned them down before the club went into administration.
Sandaza left Perth after a season and signed for Rangers last summer as a free agent.
Celtic supporter Tommy - who has never revealed his surname - was pretending to be middle-man Jack McGonigle, has previously tricked disgraced former Rangers owner Craig Whyte and ex-SFA chief executive David Taylor, now a senior UEFA official.
Sandaza tells the prankster he is on £4,500 a week for the first season of his four-year deal which goes up to £10,000 in the final year.
By that time the Ibrox club would expect to be back in the top flight of Scottish football.
The 28-year-old striker, who believed 'McGonigle' was approaching him about a move to Major League Soccer in the United States, admitted he would quit Ibrox for a better deal but insists he does not want the club to know about the conversation.
He says: 'Do not do it officially through the club. Send me the contract first. I don’t want trouble if Rangers find out about this.'
Sandaza signed for Rangers from St Johnstone last summer. He has also played for Dundee United.
LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION HERE...
PRANKSTER'S GOT PREVIOUS...
In one conversation, 'Tommy from Glasgow', a regular caller to football phone-ins, posed as businessman Stewart Henderson and got disgraced former Rangers owner Craig Whyte to discuss the future of the club before liquidation.
Whyte (right) apparently tried to seal a £10m investment and offered 'Tommy' an introduction to administrators.
'Tommy', according to several Celtic fan sites, also enjoyed a chat with David Taylor, during which the former SFA chief joked that the Hoops had few friends in the media, especially in the BBC.
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