It perhaps offers a quieter life after the problems that resulted in him quitting Rangers with a £200,000 pay-off.

The club's former chief ­executive Charles Green has bought a luxury chateau in France.

Mr Green, 60, paid just over €400,000 (£340,000) for Le Château De Marcei near Argentan in Normandy and now hopes to pursue a passion for horses.

The Yorkshireman looked at 30 properties before settling on the 18th-century home which is set within 27 acres.

It came after fans of the Ibrox club expressed outrage when it emerged Mr Green netted more than £200,000 in severance pay as part of a near £1m annual remuneration package after quitting as chief executive in April and eventually leaving the board.

Mr Green said he had had an interest in buying a property in Normandy before agreeing to lead a consortium to buy the assets of Rangers.

Mr Green said: "I just wanted to buy a property in Normandy to live with my 30 horses.

"I have always been fascinated by the thoroughbred. Normandy is the epicentre of the horse world. This is where I decided to start a new life."

Mr Green said he visited 30 properties before buying the 18th-century castle and 27 acres of surrounding meadow and woods.

He added: "In each of my visits, it is as if the castle told me, 'buy me'.

"I hope to finish the work within three months and bring my horses."

In June, Mr Green's former ­associate Andrew Parker-Bowles, revealed he had a love of horses rather than football.

He said: "He was very much into horse racing and that's what he spoke to me about - racehorses, not football."

Of his position with Rangers, Mr Green indicated that litigation with the former club owner, believed to be a reference to Craig Whyte, did not help.

The RIFC annual report revealed a legal battle with Whyte who has cast a shadow of uncertainty hanging over the business side of the club.

Auditors Deloitte raised concerns over an "uncertain outcome" of potential litigation but Rangers have con­sistently said Whyte's claims have no merit.

Rangers revealed they had spent £600,000 contesting the claim by Whyte and his ­associate Aiden Earley who have argued Mr Green was working alongside them in Sevco 5088, the company granted permission to buy the oldco assets by administrators Duff & Phelps, and that they, consequently, are the rightful owners of the club.

Whyte released documents appearing to bear Mr Green's signature, confirming Whyte and Mr Earley, as directors of Sevco 5088, the initial bid vehicle of the purchase of the club assets.

Mr Green said of his involvement: "There was constant daily pressure. Saving the club was a challenge that I do not regret having conducted. Once the rise from the Third ­Division was acquired, I resigned. My life is elsewhere."

The first annual report of RIFC showed that before Mr Green quit as chief executive in April, he had been paid £933,376 including a severance payment of £217,850. His bonus of £360,000 eclipsed his salary of £333,077.

Mr Green's counterpart at Celtic, Peter Lawwell, was also paid just short of £1m in the 12 months to June.

Mr Green's severance payment came even though he stepped down as chief executive in April following an apparently racist remark he made about former colleague Imran Ahmad and the furore over Mr Green's alleged links with Whyte, which were hotly refuted.

Mr Green led a consortium to buy the assets of the club last summer, prompting protests after he was subsequently brought in as a consultant, but had his contract terminated 18 days later.