Michael McIndoe lifts lid on Wolves, Jez Moxey, his £1m Perton home, and apologises over flopped investment
Michael McIndoe has broken his silence and ‘humbly’ apologised to footballers and investors he allegedly owes millions of pounds to – but denied heading a fraud scam.
The ex-Wolves star admits shareholders were left out of pocket after a lavish London nightclub he was launching flopped.
But he criticises the media for claiming he was running an investment scheme which left professional footballers out of pocket.
In a new autobiography, entitled ‘Wildling’, he says: “To those I borrowed money from but didn’t pay back in full, I humbly apologise.
“People who know me well know that I’ve always been meticulous about paying back any money I’ve borrowed.
“I desperately wanted the club to be the success we thought it would be.
“There were many unforeseen circumstances which I could never have planned for. I’m truly gutted things didn’t work out.”
In an attack on the press, he says: “I’ve watched the media try and tarnish my credibility and defame my character on a monthly basis.”
McIndoe, 37, was made bankrupt in 2014 and owed around £3 million.
He was alleged to owe a string of Wolves players hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Players have claimed he offered regular 20 per cent returns on investments but the money started to dry up – hitting many in the pocket.
Scotland Yard fraud detectives have been investigating the arrangements and interviewed McIndoe. No wrongdoing is implied.
In his book, the Scottish-born winger also sheds light on his time at Wolves.
He reveals how he bought a £1 million house in Perton which annoyed then-manager Mick McCarthy because he had been intending on purchasing the same property.
“Probably not the best way to get on your new gaffer’s good side,” he said.
And he also accuses former chief executive Jez Moxey of breaking an agreement the pair had on an improved contract after he signed on a ‘low wage’ – prompting him to leave shortly after joining.
“I knew he was trying to palm me off,” he said.
“I was infuriated. The bottom line was, since signing for Wolves halfway through the season I’d played every game, When I joined we were 10th and yet we’d finished 5th, losing to West Brom in the play-off semi-finals. Only the Wolverhampton Wanderers’ faithful, who travel up and down the country every week to watch their team play, can judge whether Jez Moxey was fair or not.”
And he also addresses comments he made following his £450,000 move to Bristol City, when he was quoted as calling Wolves a ‘little club’.
In the book, he says: “In true journalistic style, my comments were taken out of context, which then p***** off many of the Wolves faithful. I’m still really f***** off about it.” Describing his return to Molineux with Bristol City, he said: “I was expecting a frosty reception thanks to that press article, but what I actually got was more like an avalanche of abuse for the full 90 minutes.”
Alluding to Mr Moxey, he adds: “Perhaps if I’d told the true story earlier, they might have directed their abuse towards a certain someone in the home stand. Who knows?” Mr McIndoe told the Express & Star: “I am extremely excited to have released my new book and let people read the true story. The media have had such an avid interest in my life that I think it’s about time I set the record straight.”
The book charts his upbringing on the rough Calders estate in Edinburgh, his battle through drugs and violent gang life during the 1990s, through to his professional footballing career, living a champagne lifestyle, and how he lost his fortune. The book can bought online and is being priced at £12.99 for a paperback and £9.49 for a kindle version.
