Bobby Madden has responded to claims that he is a Rangers supporter.

The referee recently called time on his 20-year career as an official. 

He left Scottish football last year, as he joined the EFL's ranks for one campaign. 

But earlier this week, he decided now was the time to retire from the game. 

And speaking to BBC Sport Scotland, Madden has addressed allegations that he has a season ticket at Ibrox. 

Revealing his St Mirren influences, he rebuffed the nonsense claims. 

He said: "This has been bandied about for years and I can speak openly now, and I think anyone who knows me will know.

"I was raised by my grandparents and my grandfather was a massive Rangers fan and took me to Ibrox until I was about 12 or 13. And through ill-health stopped going.

"My brother was a St Mirren fan. But at that point of 12, 13, 14, I started running, I became a junior international, so I really took a limited interest in football at that stage. When I didn't have a race, I would go to Love Street as it was called at the time.

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"I would go there with my brother who had a season ticket. So no, you hear the rumours, I'm a mason, a shareholder, I ran a supporters bus.

"It's very easy to create a rumour now and if someone says I used to work with him, it gives a degree of credibility and they can put anything on that.

"I worked in a distribution centre for 12 years. They knew I was a runner, on spare weekends I went to Love Street. I actually sat beside some people who worked with us I knew, people will always try to find a way to criticise and cast aspersions

"So I did go when I was younger with my grandfather but I was never a season ticket holder or any of these other things."

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