Retiring SPFL chairman Ralf Topping addressed the issue of Rangers EBTs in the light of the recent Supreme Court ruling in an interview today with The Scotsman. It is clear he is well-briefed on what is ‘in the post’ for the football authorities in Scotland from “fans groups”:
“There are a lot of wealthy people who support football clubs who will fund certain activities around challenges. The authorities just have to accept it and be measured in their response.”
Topping told The Scotsman, their solicitor, “the finest in the land”, made sure they were “ready for any challenges subsequently”.
The SPFL would save themselves and everyone else a lot of time and money if, instead of briefing friendly journalists who would refrain from asking the pertinent questions, they would address the matter in hand.
Why did the SPL (now the SPFL) set the parameters for what became the Lord Nimmo Smith (LNS) Commission to examine from 1998, then, when it became clear Rangers would admit guilt for offenses between 1998 and 2000, change that date to run from 2000?
Why did the SPL not lead evidence to the LNS Commission on the five players Rangers admitted guilt to the First Tier Tribunal, for offenses committed during the period in question (after 2000)?
Why did the SPL not reserve the right to appeal the LNS decision, which was predicated on EBTs being executed legally, pending the HMRS appeal?
Other questions, like who made the above decisions and why, can be addressed later.
If only the SPFL would “be measured in their response”, if only they would respond at all! There has been no response to these questions, only prevarication, misdirection and evasion.
The more those at the top of Scottish football speak, the more they sound like Sepp Blatter, who for years set inquiries and boasted about his robust legal advice on the running of Fifa.
Frankly, Topping and his cronies are not in Blatter’s league. They are not career criminals, but their briefing of selected journalists while studiously avoiding the question every fan would like to see answered, increasingly looks like a cover-up.
Celtic’s call for action will be ignored by the SPFL and SFA, but that must not be the end of it. Just do the right thing, Ralph; answer the questions.
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BEATBHOY
Smashing
Ernie … no argument from me on that point mate.
Davidopoulos
At your service!
MIKEINTORONTO
In the absence of any means of removing the board,how do you think we deal with this?
I despise the board,never made a secret of it. Equally,congratulations offered when they do something right.
Total minefield. But I do know that when I used to play poker as a kid,a good hand was a pleasure to toy the opposition with.
And never to be discarded.
(Although I did lose money once while holding a Royal Flush. Quite a lot. Got six of the belt too. Caught rotten)
Ralph Topping – hundreds and thousands of excuses.
Lets give him the raspberry…
BEATBHOY
Let’s not string this out
STV saying LG tied a Celtic scarf to the goalposts last night after the game…..anyone confirm?
It says there in the Jimmy that there will be no challenge to Lord Smith’s verdict and it’s all finished with. Pretty disappointing no real grounds given and the issue just shut down and dismissed.
BMCUWP
not sure that we need to remove the Board per se. But they need to be taught that if they don’t respect the wishes of the fans, then we will not fund actions we don’t support. We won’t need to actually follow through, I don’t believe. A real organized threat to not renew season tickets, for example, will force the Board to move.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWkQdwYAEdF/
Davidopoulos
OK. I’ll let it go.
The died huns allowed into div 3….
Party line – We canny speak till court cases finish !
LNS Whitewash…
Party line – We canny speak till court cases finish !
Court cases finish….
Party line – We need to wait till November to see what Rory Brenner says at the AGM !
Aye…..
The fools, the fools, the fools….
How good does yer jelly n ice cream taste noo ?
Yeez have been told for years exactly who yeez were dealing wi…..
The bhoy who cried wolf – CSC
…..off-oot.
BEATBHOY
That’s net funny…
In Ye olden days, Ralph Topping would have been put in the stocks, and hit with vast amounts of sh***
Dungcaster would be branded, and Regan would be transported to Devil’s Island.
Dave King would have been chained up in the Debtors Prison, and later beheaded, twice:)
This PC culture is all wrong.
HH
Davidopoulos
Take it as a backhanded compliment.
BADA BING
I can confirm, that the Bhoy Griff, tied a Celtic scarf round the John Knox FC goalpost:)
Pictures abound online.
HH
BEATBHOY
OUT.
I’m off out…
:)
Mon the hoops
Bada
He did tie a scarf apparently When he did this one of the Huns got onto the park to have a go at him,fortunately he was stopped before he got anywhere near him. Given the tension I don’t think it was one of Leigh’s brightest ideas.
TGM- Thanks
Martybhoy- agree, i’m sure players would have been briefed before the game.
https://twitter.com/celticfc/status/886207110249418752/photo/1
Team for today
It can’t be much of a surprise that Topping is a tosser – looks like we are on our own with this.
We should just fast forward to the court case , Scottish football authorities are inept , biased and corrupt , pointless looking for anything in a Scottish football judicial hearing.
Expect the next Celtic statement to be along the lines of ” disappointed at the lack of response … we will be presenting a full case to CAS covering the period from 1997 to 2017 and this will present a gross failure to apply the rules which will require wide ranging changes to the structure and personnel running Scottish football
Bearing in mind Griff got booked for complaining about a bottle being thrown at him.
No player should have to put up with that.
I can understand him being annoyed and giving the monster squad a GIRUY.
These Linfield animals think they can bottle Celtic players and its ok, its not.
HH
!!BADA BING!! on 15TH JULY 2017 1:57 PM
https://twitter.com/celticfc/status/886207110249418752/photo/1
Team for today
Jusr what the Doctor ordered!
Hail Hail
“The rats are cornered”
© TTT
Ajar & Bitton as Centre Half’s.
Who is this other kid Hill?
Ntcham on the Left Flank?
I can’t remember having a ‘second’ team that looks as strong as that team for today. Really like the looks of Ajer and ebouie… expecting big things from them. Haven’t seen enough of our new guy yet.
Paul67 et al
The SFA consider that the Five Way Agreement supersedes the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
They believe that it is superior to any decision handed down by the Supreme Court in London.
I do not see any evidence to the contrary.
Re – Linfield’s bottle throwin’ incident…………
Has embdy from scoddland piped up?
Wishart Fraser?………naw?
https://twitter.com/iamjuanfran/status/885930748364161024?s=08
Bottle thrower from last night
Where is Ralston, injured?
It’s part of their DNA as sniveling ,sleekit huns to cheat with impunity.
When the vast majority of Scots accept as long as it keeps those uppity fenian interlopers in their place then they have a clear path to do as they want.
I often hear of Scotland being described as a proud nation.
Sadly as one who was born there i see a country who in footballing terms would rather fail than allow the uppity Fenians success.
A proud people would put the nation first.
Re Celtic tv commentary – he kept referring to Lustig as Laudrup. Bring back the bearded ‘shapes yo shoot’ please and Tam Boyd.
OVERSEASBHOY
The co commentator was hopeless and knew less about our players than the huns do.
Who was he?
Pat Fenlon
Dessybhoy, Was asking the same question myself, also Mikey Johnston, I see a good scattering of the young guns in the Subs, particularly interested in McInroy.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen him play but a Scottish acquaintance of mine raves about him, just wondering if any CQN’ers have a view on the young Bhoy, or anyone any info on the health of Ralston or Mikey Johnston, .
Mark Henderson
Corkcelt- he stuck out in the games v Sevco U19s that were on TV at end of the season, good left foot…
We could do with a new centre half.
Stating the obvious.