Derek Ferguson claims Rangers were 'encouraged' by Saddam Hussein to throw a game against Iraq

Former Rangers star Derek Ferguson says he and his teammates were once 'encouraged' to lose a game against Iraq - by then-dictator Saddam Hussein.

Jock Wallace's Gers travelled to Baghdad in 1985 for a pair of friendlies against the Iraq national team after defeat to Dundee in the Scottish Cup left them with a free week. They drew the first 1-1 and lost the second 4-1 and Hussein was in the stands for both matches.

And Ferguson, speaking on Open Goal, said Hussein - president of Iran between 1979 and 2003 before his execution in 2006 - intervened between those games and 'encouraged' them to take their foot of the gas for the second. Revealing the bizarre meeting he said: "Big Jock took us to Iraq and Saddam Hussein was ruling the roost at that time. We were all in our hotel rooms one day and there was a chap on the door and we were told to get downstairs.

"We were told this guy was coming to meet us and it was Saddam. I shook his hand but we didn't know who he was. Thank God we didn't know. He wasn't a big guy, he was just a wee guy like myself.

"We were encouraged to lose the second game against the Iraqi national team. It was the usual, we were giving it a bit and we got told to lay off the gas and give them a bit of the ball. And I think that was Saddam."

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