Andrews putting career at risk

The Rangers defender Marvin Andrews has put his career at risk by relying on faith rather than surgery to repair a knee injury and is vowing to play through the pain to help his side win the Scottish Premier League.

The Rangers defender Marvin Andrews has put his career at risk by relying on faith rather than surgery to repair a knee injury and is vowing to play through the pain to help his side win the Scottish Premier League.

The devout Christian has ignored medical advice that he needs an operation on his damaged cruciate ligament and has told Rangers that God can help him through this crisis. However, the Glasgow club are concerned that their Trinidad and Tobago international is putting his playing career in jeopardy.

In a statement, Rangers said: "Marvin Andrews sustained cruciate ligament damage to his left knee in the game against Dundee on Sunday, March 13. It is the medical opinion that he requires an operation. Marvin fully understands the advice he has received, however, he has declared himself fit and wishes to continue training and playing."

Andrews, 29, was recently ordained as a deacon at Kirkcaldy's Zion Praise International Church in Fife. Last month he made his debut as a hands-on healer after claiming he had been cured of a persistent groin strain that way. Andrews said that Pastor Joe Nwokoye had helped clear his groin strain while at the Kirkcaldy club, Raith Rovers.

The former Livingston defender turned down a transfer to Dundee United in 2003 by saying: "God spoke to me [on Wednesday] so I knew what my decision was going to be before I arrived at Tannadice.

He also turned down moves to England while at Livingston and said: "God is my agent. Money isn't key to my existence.

"Manchester United could approach me, but if God tells me not to go I won't."

The Scottish Football Association has agreed to Hearts' request to postpone a hearing into their comments made after the 2-1 league defeat by Rangers on 2 March. Club officials were set to face the SFA's general purposes committee at Hampden yesterday on a charge of bringing the game into disrepute.

Hearts had demanded an inquiry into the decision of the referee Hugh Dallas, on the advice of the linesman Andy Davis, to hand Rangers a last-minute penalty, questioning Dallas's integrity.