SFA ready to attempt a cover-up to protect cronies

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Yesterday, the SFA’s Professional Game Board met to discuss the SPFL’s request that they hold an inquiry into the goings-on in Scottish football, following The Supreme Court’s ruling last month on the legality of Rangers EBT use. The League, which represents all 42 senior clubs in the game, wants the national association to investigate the most serious governance events in the sport’s history.

You would think the SFA would be obliged to investigate, right?

Instead, the SFA are getting the band back together.  They will sit down with Darryl Broadfoot, now the Association’s external PR, to calculate whether they can carry enough media support to get away with doing nothing at all.

Apparently, the SFA would rather solicit backing for inaction than carry out the wishes of their professional league. This is Scottish football in 2017. It is actually happening, right now.

Governance standards are non-negotiable. No national association can ignore the will of its professional clubs, on an issue as serious as governance, without major repercussions. If the acute situation we have witnessed in recent years is not bad enough, this lack of action puts the SFA on the verge of complicity and cover-up.

Some of the recent most senior office-holders of the Association itself are implicated in the scandal, both as administrators and financial beneficiaries. The question before members of the Professional Game Board isn’t just, ‘Do we do the right thing?’, it’s ‘Do we expose some of our friends and colleges to scrutiny?  And if so, how far does the contamination spread?’  Those watching from within the game know, once Pandora’s Box is open, the actions of many others could be open to scrutiny.  Don’t think evidence presented to Lord Nimmo Smith was not thoroughly rehearsed and approved by ‘the band’ before being put to the SPL Commission.

The SFA will instruct a cover-up in the coming days to protect their cronies, and in doing so will become complicit in the subversion of the level playing field in Scottish football.

The stink goes as high as the recent past-president of the SFA, Campbell Ogilvie, who worked with those on the Professional Game Board, and had administrative responsibility for contracts and licensing at Rangers during their EBT period. He was also a financial beneficiary of an EBT. The SFA will refuse the request of the SPFL to investigate these matters and attempt a cover-up.

When you have prima facie evidence of a governance issue, presented by your own league, involving your own past-president, you are obliged to open up to independent analysis.  Failure to “promote and protect ethical standards and good governance” put the Scottish Football Association in breach of their duty as a member association of Uefa.

Fans will not accept anything less; clubs will not accept anything less. The matter will go to Uefa.  It will go to government.  It will go to media in England and beyond. It will go to court; those turning their heads today will be called to account.  It cannot and will not be accepted.  It will not go away.

There will be no cover-up to protect the guilty.

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299 Comments

  1. Borgo….

     

     

    Actually…..it is unfair.

     

     

    And Celtics supporters are all experts on unfairness….we’ve lived it forever!

     

     

    Now it’s justice for the good guys…

     

     

    HH

  2. Mullet

     

     

    According to JJs latest it was Rob Petrie who was negotiating with Charles Green.

     

     

    I’m not sure what position on SFA or SPL Boards he held at that time to offer Sevco a place at the top of the SFL that he could not guarantee.

     

     

    The SFL top tier did not vote to let Sevco join at that level (Turnbull Hutton etc) but the SFL clubs eventually voted to allow Sevco a place in their bottom tier.

     

     

    Celtic having no locus in the matter and having been part of the SPL Board who voted against Sevco joining the SPL would have difficulty in being actively involved ie complicit in decisions and actions of a league (the SFL) in which they had no say.

     

     

    Sevco were voted into the SFL bottom tier in mid July 2012 and 5 Way not announced until end of July. The 5 Way was agreed to by all clubs and it essentially set the conditions under which all parties were prepared to give Sevco SFA membership and SFL membership to enable them to play.

     

     

    If you view allowing Sevco a place in Scottish football at any level as morally wrong (and there is a strong case) then all clubs were complicit, but not because of sectarianism but because for many their financial survival depended on Sevco still being involved in the game.

     

     

    I don’t see what Celtic could have done to prevent the final outcome and where they did have a say Sevco were not allowed into the SPL.

     

     

    Did they check every i and dot every t in the 5 Way? I doubt it. CQN Magazine put up a long post the other week about the Birth of a Myth. That article was only possible because someone knew the history of rule changes and publicised it. It is very unlikely Celtic would have been aware of that rule change and even if they were and objected to the history retention myth that only surfaced after the 5 Way, if Green had made it a condition of buying a Sevco the SFA, SFL and SPL wanted to be sold, I think the other clubs would have voted Celtic dow, but I doubt any had the foresight to see what a problem the same club myth with an entitlement to titles was to become.

     

     

    Had titles been removed I think it would not matter so much but by not doing that and allowing those same titles to be part of Sevco’s history, they not only let Sevco have their cake and eat it, they delivered the rest of the game a cake they just will not swallow.

  3. GuyFawkesaforeverhero on

    All the best to the Celts tonight. We’ll be with you on every step of the road to 7IAR!

     

    ————————————————————————-

     

    Good luck to Duntocher Hibs in the first round of Coronation Cup tomorrow, 2pm at Glenhead Park. Home again, welcome back to your village. Saturday’s game of the day.

  4. PAUL67

     

    Strong words today , lets get this done and dusted ! Total admiration for the RES 12 Bhoys , just wish the board would get their fingers out !

     

    ALBERTKIDD Flaherty’s at bottom of Las Ramblas will show game or Michael Collins bar as already suggested HH !

  5. BT

     

     

    I googled Adam Barton to see if he was related to Joey. Turns out he played for ROI under 21’s and has played in a friendly for the North .

     

     

    Thirds63

     

    The thing that bothers me is it’s only unfair when it’s us .

     

     

    Anyway back to work, five hours to go and hopefully catch the end of the first half .

  6. Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan on

    AlbertKiddCSC on 11th August 2017 2:17 pm

     

     

    Lots of Irish Sports type bars in Barcelona but try these two.

     

     

    Flaherty’s which is at the bottom of the Ramblas – off to the left hand side as you go towards the port or its sister pub Shenanigans.

     

     

    https://www.pflaherty.com/

     

     

    Or The Temple Bar which is on the Carrer de Ferran, 6, 08002 Barcelona, Spain — this street is about half way down the Ramblas again on the left hand side as you go towards the port.

     

     

    There are a few bars on this street including one called Lennox which might be able to help you out.

     

     

    https://templebarbcn.com/en/

     

     

    Also, check out this website written by a Celtic Fan — very funny and very good about cheap food in Barcelona

     

     

    https://juanmanandhisdug.wordpress.com/

  7. AULDHEID on 11TH AUGUST 2017 3:02 PM

     

     

    The Great Desmondo made known his admiration for the huns, and his hope that things would eventually get back to the way things had been.

     

     

    Which is what has happened, at least in so far as their incompetence on and off the field has allowed.

     

     

    Some of us might regard that as more than a coincidence.

  8. Empty the stadium=

     

    BR resigns=

     

    No more Moussa’s or Scotty’s attracted=

     

    No more European nights=

     

    Empty stadium

     

     

    Sounds like a plan – not

  9. The only niggle I have with the whole thing is this; the SFA strategy, as outlined in the above article by P67, of ‘heavily managed inaction’ is a very stupid move. Very stupid indeed.

     

     

    The thing is, they aren’t stupid people, these running the SFA PGB.

     

     

    They are clever and successful men (it’s a given, btw, that they are all men, all white, all middle aged or above and all middle class, that’s the way things are in Scotland, not just the football bit of it). To think they don’t have the smarts is to underestimate them hugely.

     

     

    So why do clever men do stupid things? If we answer that, we bring them down.

     

     

    My guess is they are acting in desperation and are making a bad choice as it’s the only choice they can see that won’t destroy them. Maybe they do have a grand plan that we can’t see, some well Crafted escape route. That’s what is bothering me!

     

     

    Time will tell, but I am ready to man whatever barricades I need to. If we do nothing, their stupid punt will work. Like so many others, I’m waiting for direction. The anger is everywhere and needs channeled.

     

     

    For info, these are the individuals in question.

     

     

    Professional Game Board:

     

     

    Chairman: Rod Petrie (Scottish FA)

     

    Members: Alan McRae (Scottish FA), Stewart Regan (Scottish FA), Andrew McKinlay (Scottish FA)*, Neil Doncaster (SPFL), Ralph Topping (SPFL), Duncan Fraser (SPFL), Michael Mulraney (SPFL), Stewart Robertson (SPFL), Sandy Stables (SHFL) and Andrew Waddell (SLFL)

  10. South Of Tunis on

    WHAT IS THE STARS @ 3.20.

     

     

    That is a growing thing .

     

     

    This summer has seen significant anti tourist demos / actions in Venice / Rome / Milan / Florence / Lecce and Palermo ..

     

     

    Saw a wee thing on Italian tv recently re similar things in Oviedo and Dubrovnik.

  11. What is the Stars on

    SOT

     

     

    Whats it all about though

     

    Seems a bit silly

     

    Whats wrong with Tourism

  12. SOUTH OF TUNIS

     

     

    Barcelona, Valencia and San Sebastian too..the Spanish are now clamping down on unregistered Air BnB joints..

     

     

    Getting the hump with the Weekenders/City breakers..

  13. South Of Tunis on

    WITS

     

     

    It seems to be about some people being really p’d off re the behaviour of some tourists – the attitude , the behaviour , the mess , the noise , the disruption , the impact on local culture etc etc.. There has been vigilante style action in Venice — tourists being bombarded with fruit etc .

  14. Under four hours to El Glassico.

     

     

    Gordon

     

    Ralston Simunovic Ajer Tierney

     

    Forrest Brown Ntcham Kouassi Hayes

     

    Giffiths.

     

     

    Gordon

     

    Lustig Simunovic Bitton Tierney

     

    Hayes Brown Ntcham Sinclair

     

    Rogic

     

    Griffiths.

     

     

    So many possibilities. I wonder what Brendan will decide.

     

     

    JJ

  15. What is the Stars on

    SOT

     

     

    yes I can understand if Tourists are causing problems that locals have a right to object .

     

    However……

     

    Its a dangerous xenophobic road to go down,to start attacking tourists for no other reason than being tourists.

  16. Rock Tree Bhoy on

    What a load of absolute tosh. “There will be no cover up to protect the gulty”. Oh yes their will, and to suggest otherwise is a follow me up the garden path request. No thanks Paul, nice try.

  17. HOT SMOKED on 11TH AUGUST 2017 3:47 PM

     

     

    Whatever the starting 11 it will include McGregor. And rightly so.

     

     

    Gordon

     

    Lustig Bitton Simunovic Tierney

     

    McGregor Brown Ntcham

     

    Hayes Griffiths Sinclair

     

     

    Sub DeVries Ajer Ralston Armstrong Rogic Forrest Benyu

  18. BANKIEBHOY1 on 11TH AUGUST 2017 2:35 PM

     

    Whatever happened to that garrulous,………………………. *cough*….. Nevada / Nitshill – based “group” of poster(s) with the “funny” Noo Yoik accent and multiple personas?

     

     

     

    Began with a K………

     

     

    ——————————————

     

     

    After an exhausting investigation, spurred by civil review, I can reliably inform you there is, or has never been a local resident by the name of K……..

     

     

    :-)

  19. South Of Tunis on

    WITS –

     

     

    You are right .

     

     

    It doesn’t seem to be directed at all tourists .It seems to be directed at ” badly behaved ” tourists . Saw a stereotypical Venice lady on the tele mouthing off about drunks from cruiseships drinking vino collapso on the steps of her local cathedral and leaving a terrible mess behind them . . .. ” Do these people piss on their own doorsteps ? “

  20. What is the Stars on

    SOT

     

     

    Well thats fair enough if its targeted at people who obviously misbehave and are drunken louts etc.

     

    really though the police should be enforcing the law…there’s a novel idea

  21. Kieran Tierney at Celtic

     

     

    81 appearances, 80 starts.

     

     

    4 goals, 21 assists.

     

     

    6,947 minutes played.

     

     

    1 match as club captain.

     

     

    20 years old.

     

     

    @optaceltic csc

  22. weebobbycollins on

    Credit wee Shaun…he used to be first to arrive on the training pitch at Barrowfield, followed closely by Henrik…

     

    Sutton and Thomson were almost always the last…

     

    memoriescsc…

  23. lets all do the huddle on

    i think the tourism protests in barcelona are as much aimed at the natives who buy multiple properties purely to rent out to tourists which causes a shortage of properties for locals and so forces up rent prices to the point where the locals cant afford to stay in barcelona at all

     

     

    though some of the protests are legitimately aimed at those tourists who wear bum bags and hang cameras round their necks. these people should be banned

  24. I remember Shaun Maloney getting his first team debut against Rangers. We were winning at the time and, when I saw this wee slip of a boy come on as a sub, I thought it was a slap in the face for the Govan team. What chance that Karamoko gets a similar shot some day?