Former Newco Rangers director, Imran Ahmad, made a few headlines yesterday, the most disturbing of which was: “I firmly believe Police Scotland have their own agenda and are deeply emotionally connected to Rangers Football Club. In my view Police Scotland have a clear conflict of interest.”
That’s an extraordinary claim but I’m not sure it’s supported by extraordinary evidence. There is certainly evidence that Police Scotland investigate and arrest supporters of the club at football games, where prosecution levels are comparatively high. There is not extraordinary evidence to support the claim, but perhaps that’s the point.
The police go after fans, but how does it shake down when it comes to corporate matters? Set aside issues of corporate responsibility from the early 70s, and there are no concerns of criminal activity at Ibrox until the spectre of malfeasance of recent years.
By speaking publicly yesterday Ahmad is now engaged in a PR campaign. He’s marked Police Scotland’s card. This may be the rantings of a fantasist, but we should recognise that Ahmad has been an insider at Ibrox, where he would have had the opportunity to deal with senior Police Scotland officers on a regular basis. Superficial friendships would have been struck. Ahmad would need little in the way of private support when a director of Newco to substantiate his claims.
The headline grabber from Ahmad, “What the rest of the world will never understand unless they experience it first hand is that Rangers Football Club is a religion, in itself, built on centuries of religious bigotry” is also a curious think to say.
To be fair to Newco, they can bat away accusations of religious bigotry easily. Employment criteria for them has never been questioned, but Ahmad’s stuck his neck out on an issue which I’m 100% sure he wasn’t asked about. What chance he’s made notes during his time at Ibrox of any inappropriate police behaviour, or matters which allude to religious bigotry?
Mr Ahmad is asking Crown prosecutors for a letter of safe passage. I reckon he stands a decent chance of getting one. Now.
No matter whether they are innocent or guilty, the SFA have been landed in a very awkward situation by Ajax, who told Uefa the Association made it clear they saw no ground for action against fans chanting “Fenian b…….”
It’s inconceivable that Ajax have an email to that effect. If they do, it will come out, and Operation Deny and Deflect will swing underway again, but these comments would surely never be committed to record, if at all.
Ajax are also in a hole. They have made a claim and will be asked who at the SFA made the comment. You can put your mortgage on the fact Celtic officials will ask this week.
Prejudice at the police and the SFA. It’s been a difficult week for conspirators.
Our auction for hospitality at Sunday’s Dundee game for three people, eat and drink in the Walfrid and watch the game from the Directors’ Box, ends at 12:38 TODAY. Check in here for your last chance to bid. Many thanks to club sponsor Intelligent Car Leasing for donating the prize.
Thanks also to everyone who has participated towards the work of your Foundation.
498 Comments- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- ...
- 14
- »
ey?
is anybody there?
pay attention at the back
Interesting article but I’d say there are more important things for us to be concerned with right now.
We should be looking closer to home at the moment because our club is not in a good place as things stand.
Talking about events or possible events across the city is eye off the ball stuff for me and it is high time it ended.
We need to get Celtic at optimum level and then we can look at goings on in Govan.
a treble
Starry agree re Izzy wouldn’t have him out the team. Celtic will get at least a draw in Amsterdam on Thursday.
We will win the league by at least 12 points and win both domestic cups and a good run in the europa.
I am the eternal optimist.
HH
KTF
UTLR
PAUL67
Good stuff,bud.
I think there’s a very good chance that Ahmad has more in his locker than a few notes of questionable origin. Voice recordings,date-stamped,would be my bet.
Conversely,I doubt that Ajax would base their entire defence on verbal communication.
“Wan scoddland, mono culture.”
dressing room bust ups [nothing new there]
our manager attacked in the press [nothing new there]
we must have a big game coming up…..
Good article P67 bat it back to level 5…..
I hope celtic ask Ajax the question, I hope we also ask the police (along with the other clubs) what Ahamd was getting at.
Sounds like a telephone call. Doubtful Ajax would provide a quote in official papers without being on sure ground. Equally, doubtful anyone at SFA would be quite so dumb as to put something like that in writing.
THEBATTEREDBUNNET
Doubtful,but potentially hilarious!
Classy from Glentoran supporters (one of whom gave us the Famine Song)
https://twitter.com/keithbelfast/status/643565329143201792
Morning Bhoys a nice but cold morning can someone tell me what a shisha pipe is the pipe that Boyata was holding ? is it for smoking drugs ? If it is I am most concerned an athlete doing drugs is bad news. H.H.
JOEFILIPPISHAIRCUT
It’s for smoking tobacco,mate.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah
Bhoys I have found out what a shisha pipe is not drugs but tobbaco still something an athlete should not be doing is smoking I hope the club talk to the player about it. H.H.
BMCUW. Thanks fella I will get used to looking things up in a computer one of these days. H.H.
I for one would not put my mortgage on Celtic officials asking any potential boat rocking questions this week or any other week.
JOEFILIPPISHAIRCUT
Anytime,mate. I had to look it up yesterday,too. It would have helped if the Record had explained,but that would have wrecked the reason for the story-the drugs implication.
MSM reporting that celtic are interested in a Malmo winger how many wingers do we need at the club ? we seem to have a few. H.H.
It’s interesting that it takes an Englishman of Asian heritage to tell the world what that mob are all about.
This is not without precedent.
The first and for many years the only journalist to highlight and question the huns systemic sectarianism was a Jewish Englishman, Cyril Horn.
O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
TONYDONNELLY67 on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2015 9:43 AM
So the players had a little rumble at a training session?
And now names are being outed?
Shocking, this shouldn’t happen at a training session, oh really?
Well! It does, and has for years, all over the world, it’s part of the game and goes with the territory.unless it was a cheap shot? But no one knows, we are picking a scab here, let it heal, knee jerk reactions only lead to negativity, imho.
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/defenceless/comment-page-9/#comments
If Ajax have this in writing it will be passed off as one rogue or a typo … Not SFA that fine institution blah…
What is the guy expecting re. motivation for allegations about police at ibrox…ignored and denied as ever
Unless the bigotry inludes some anti-asian recism?
Either way we have a big game coming up and more concerned about how prep going and mood in the camp?
The Imran outburst would normally grab my attention but as an earlier poster intimated it’s only an irritating distraction at the moment. We have our own problems and that is all that concerns me.
bruce lee was also a great philosopher and my favourite is DO NOT FOR PRAY FOR AN EASY LIFE, PRAY FOR THE STRENGTH TO ENDURE A DIFFICULT ONE.that what we as celtic fans want, and that is an easy life winning every game and every trophy,its called sport for a reason and that is that everybody else has a sporting chance.look at chelsea they have had a terrible start and jose is being allowed to carry on as normal,at least let ronny get on with the job and if players dont like it they can leave.
ERNIE LYNCH. Unfortunately nothing will change over at Ibrokes it is cast in there Genes they are the peepil after all. H.H.
JOE FILIPPIS HAIRCUT on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2015 9:33 AM
Bhoys I have found out what a shisha pipe is not drugs but tobbaco still something an athlete should not be doing is smoking I hope the club talk to the player about it. H.H.
######
It didn’t seem to harm Henrik Larsson’s game.
Not that I’m advocating it.
mighty tim
I like yer style Big Chap:))
The convenient distraction rears its head again, bang on queue.
world peace is none of your business. A good post fella my sentiments as well. H.H.
I HEARD HE WAS DEAD
100% agree mate. We should concentrate on our own current playing malaise before we start commenting on, or laughing at 2nd Rangers. It is not the time to do it, when we trail an Aberdeen team, who were assembled at a fraction of the cost of our own. In my opinion that is a bit Hunnish.
Off topic, I see that it was 50 years ago this month that Thunderbirds first appeared on our (black and white) screens. Seminal television for anyone of my generation (b. 1959). I never missed an episode, and a gang of us would race out after the programme to mimic the show. Magic.
I think Ronny and JC may need International Rescue’s help getting home if we have a bad result on Thursday. Perhaps Thunderbird 2, with Pod 5, piloted of course by Virgil. :-)))
My nom de blog is of course in homage to the programme. Hail Hail and RIP Gerry Anderson.
Here is the passage which mentions the SFA including the job title of the responding SFA person:
In this context, the fact that the Scottish FA‟s disciplinary services manager thought that half the
Celtic FC fans would consider the use of “Fenian Bastards” offensive while the other half would not,
does not demonstrate that the term is inoffensive. Even if this statement were true, the fact that
half of the people referred to as “Fenian Bastards” feel offended is sufficient for UEFA to consider
the expression offensive and to prohibit it in football stadiums. Moreover, the fact that the Scottish
FA, for its own internal reasons, does not consider references to “Fenian Bastards” as an offence
cannot prevent the UEFA disciplinary bodies from punishing such behaviour, since they are
independent bodies. This argument, which therefore is clearly unfounded and even reckless, does
not merit a more detailed assessment. (From UEFA)
tonydonnelly67 on 15th September 2015 9:46 am
I think the concern is that the training field spat might be symptomatic of a deeper and more widespread malaise which has been affecting match day performances.
I would say that’s a very good article by Paul and worth a few posts about it, BUT to say that it’s a distraction? To me means it doesent suit your agenda, which is fine by me, I’ve read enough negativity thank you very much, and it’s all repetitive and boring, but by all means keep posting it, that’s your prerogative, but please allow other to think that the SFA think calling us Fenian B……. And Police Scotland steeped in hunnery is worth a post here and there, and I’m not distracted that post was a god send, imho.
In other news Jeremy Corbyn rides a “Mao” styled bike ! Otherwise known as a bicycle reports the Times
Well amongst all the doom it gave me a good chuckle this morning :))
I agree Ernie, I’ve felt that malaise has been evident since the start of the season. the training incident was about two weeks ago.
It’s interesting that the bigotry stuff raises it’s head and Scots become “flabbergasted.”
I have said many times looking from my perspective, someone who has spent the majority of their life in England, Scotland, just seem to be in denial about this.
It’s interesting that these things are highlighted by foreigners (non Scots) Imran Ahmad I’m sure would have thought some of the customs at Ibrox very odd.
Like wise when the officials from Ajax were curious about just what the offending banner meant and how much hot water were they in, they asked the SFA to clarify and seemingly got a mangled reply.
The last time it raised it’s head was the Roy Greenslade piece about the different headlines in the Mirror and the Record.
These things don’t happen by accident, they happen because Scotland won’t tackle the malignant Elephant in the room. No doubt sectarianism is an embarrassing blight on Scotland, which is otherwise a fair-minded, welcoming Country. But to deny it’s existence, or brush it under the carpet is the reason why these embarrassments continue.
Scotland must accept that’s their is, within it’s culture a Catholic and Irish racist element. There needs to be zero tolerance to this and people re-educated. Otherwise it will continue to be embarrassed by foreigners who are confused to the benign approach to our cultural oddities.
ERNIE LYNCH on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2015 10:03 AM
tonydonnelly67 on 15th September 2015 9:46 am
I think the concern is that the training field spat might be symptomatic of a deeper and more widespread malaise which has been affecting match day performances.
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/police-scotland-and-the-sfa-in-the-dock/#sthash.IKt4DG9O.dpuf
I wouldent rule it out, and I’m really not concerned either way, as I said it happens all the time.