Quite apart from this week’s admission by First Minister, Alex Salmond, that he has been arguing with HM Revenue and Customs to “for goodness sake get a settlement” with Rangers, I continue to receive reliable assurances that HMRC are coming under pressure from all political angles to effectively offer state aid to Rangers FC PLC (in administration).
In short, if HMRC acquiesce, Rangers will have their debt zeroed and will be out of administration with only their 10 point penalty to show for years of financial doping.
Fifa guidelines explicitly prevent governments from interfering in football. State aid to any one club is about as explicit a contravention of Fifa rules as there can be. This jeopardises the places of Scottish clubs in next season’s European competitions and could lead to the Scotland national team being banned from the World Cup qualifying group, due to start later this year.
It is the SFA’s job to insist that all state intervention in football stops immediately. I urge you to write to the SFA chief executive, Stewart Regan, stewart.regan@scottishfa.co.uk
Celtic have an excellent chance of Champions League football next season and we don’t want politicians of any colour getting Scottish teams banned from international competition. The silence of the SFA on the subject, despite extensive media coverage, is very disconcerting.
It’s time for you to play your part in these important times.
Fancy writing something for CQN Magazine? Drop me an email and let me know what you would like to write about before you get started, just in case someone else has the same angle covered: celticquicknews@gmail.com.
There was some incredible late night action on the eBay action for the signed Celtic top in aid of the Vanessa Riddle Appeal. I’m stunned, check out the link below. You are pushing the reputation of supporters of Celtic Football Club ever higher.
Bid and help send Vanessa for the treatment she needs by clicking here. Only one day left.
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I have hear rumours of a Wembley type invasion with the huns wanting a piece of Aywisbroke turf
How much a new pitch ?
Hail Hail
EDB
Many happy returns mi amigo.
I’m sure you will remember this one :>)
EKBhoy says:
17 February, 2012 at 15:50
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
It’s almost like….the wee swooty guy at school has, refused the bully his piece’s :¬))))
Hail! Hail!
Kevjungle
Aye we can but dweam and dweam and dweam….
Awe_Naw
Now that is something I would like to see.
Our hero is leaving tonight on plane
I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain
And I can see our hero waving goodbye
Oh it looks like Craigy..must be the clouds in my eye
Awe naw.
That’s clearly made up. No way they’d put something green in their pocket.
THE EXILED TIM says:
17 February, 2012 at 15:38
I posted this earlier
Re the huns
Royal Mail owed £3k and not uplifting mail.
Shell declining company fuel cards!
Not much but significant
Might explain why Ally isn’t driving the Range Rover these days. :-)
close ×
@rangerstaxcase
Rangers Tax-Case Alex Salmond will want to do a little more investigating as to how murky events got at Rangers before he goes all out to help them.
5 minutes ago via web
.
——————————————————————————–
rangerstaxcase Rangers Tax-Case
@ @mostlyceltic Total RFC debt would need to be £180m to force through a CVA against the wishes of HMRC.
16 minutes ago
I’ve got to admit that I was more than a tad angry at the rioters last year, but when you think of the example that has been set to them, MP’s fiddling their expenses, RFC 1872 (now in administration) for failing to pay their due tax and now Government wanting to negate RFC 1872 (now in administration)’s tax liability! I now think who can blame them?
Hail! Hail! PMTYH
Big Birthday party on Saturday- mine 29.99999999999999999 recurring. Mrs O has promised baked Alaska but doesn’t think jelly will go with this :-(. Instrumental version of Tom hark loaded onto the IPod for the Conga – we’re doin’ the conga WHILST rangers die, we’re havin’ a Party whilst Rangers die.
There’s now a clamour for tickets for tomorrow – ‘the last game at Ibrox for Rangers 1872’
How long till they start appearing on ebay?
The Honest Mistake loves being first says:
I thought they had something tiny and green between baith pockets ?
HAil Hail
Bruce, you know me well…
We’ll meet again
Don’t know where, don’t know wheeeeeeeen
But I know we’ll meet again
Some sunneeee day!
let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
Neil Lennon is a God
DundeeUtd
just phoned them
01382 833166
says there are a limited number of AWAY tickets available for the SFA Cup match, 11th March 1.15pm
not sure however if they are on sale immediately or as of this coming Monday
sad to say, i canny go
amadeus says:
17 February, 2012 at 15:57
Where did u hear that?
I contacted Taxpayers alliance this afternoon – got this reply
Dear xxxxxxx
Thank you for contacting us. We will continue to pressure HMRC on this matter. Our Campaign Manager, Robert Oxley was interviewed on Sky Sports News about Rangers on Wednesday. Here is a link to the interview: http://youtu.be/Fbo6Vzn78FE
If you have not done so already, please sign-up for our weekly bulletin sent to all supporters every Friday.
Best Wishes,
Andrew
Andrew Allison, National Grassroots Coordinator
The TaxPayers’ Alliance | 55 Tufton Street | London SW1P 3QL
0845 330 9554 | 07803 741 104 | 07795 084 113 (24hr media mobile)
“Arguably the most influential campaign group in the country” – The Guardian
Paul 67 Keep up the pressure on these clowns
Emails away to SFA and UEFA
Issue 6 through the door – Thanks looks excellent
Just saw Sally on SSN, did he answer a question ? Muddy waters indeed.
The statement from Whyte saying he will take a step back and let the Administrators do their job, is that not what he has to do?
Do the Administrators not take full control? Am I missing something here?
RFC (in administration) just rolls off the tongue ………………….. lovely !!
Hail Hail
Stephen with a “ph”
BlantyreKev – Parcel=> says:
17 February, 2012 at 16:04
plenty of spare seats in the directors box.
Hi Paul,
Good to see your keeping up the pressure – excellent stuff – I sent an e-mail but took a different tact – will let you know if I get a reply, would imagine Mr Regan could be a bit busy.
Dear Mr Regan,
There have been several Golden eras in Scottish football some in my lifetime some I was told about by Dad and Uncles, I mention this because there is a current generation of Scots for whom this is simply a history lesson and now there is seemingly a crisis in Scottish football and if the “hue and cry” is to be believed this deficit is not only set to continue but in fact get worse, some say much worse. Rangers F.C. have gone into administration and there is a premise that states Scottish football needs a strong Rangers, yet the reality doesn’t bear this out, quite the opposite in fact.
The last Golden era was in the eighties, where club football was not dominated by one or two clubs but a very competitive Premier League saw Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United, Hearts as well as Rangers compete for honours – These teams competed at the highest level in Europe. In 1990 the Scotland national squad qualified for their fifth successive World Cup – many of the squad played at the highest level in Scottish, English and German football. This was directly before Sir David Murray’s Rangers distorted the whole balance of Scottish football with little evidence they cared for the good of the National game.
It is a complete fallacy that a strong Rangers is necessary for the good of Scottish football, during the last Golden era Rangers was as poor as they have been in the last fifty years. I have read no facts to support the special pleadings assertion only rhetoric, and the evidence is to the contrary. With few exceptions a strong Rangers has led to two decades of under achievement in Scottish Football and the last time the National team looked like qualifying for a major tournament, the management team were poached by Rangers at a very decisive moment. They have every right to do what is right for their club but do they have to do it so ruthlessly, it has brought them to the point of financial meltdown. Below are a few examples where far from benefiting Scottish football Rangers and their fans have brought it into disrepute.
• The censure of the Rangers fans by UEFA – in several European locations
• Greater Manchester Police blocking their visit for a testimonial due to the riots of 2008
• The Scottish Parliament introducing new legislation to deal with football hooliganism in general and sectarianism in particular
• And as I stated before the poaching the SFA’s management team at a crucial time.
Mr Regan you have been given a remit to become a new broom, sweeping through the reform of Scottish football, much of what you have already achieved and that which you propose can have huge benefits for our National sport. In several years time no one will be surprised to see a Rangers team back at the top of the SPL but I urge you not to be bow to misplaced sentiment when looking at Rangers current situation but look at the facts and implement the rules and regulations of the SFA in a manner that promotes good governance in Scottish Football Clubs and gives no truck to moral hazard.
The way this situation is handled can be an exemplar not only for the game in Scotland but for British and European football, current changes in the balance of Premier League football could bring forth a reforming era. Few people have an opportunity to make their mark at the beginning of a new epoch, you may well be in that situation and for the greater good of Scottish football I wish you the best of luck with it.
Don’tBelieveTheHypeCSC
So right at this moment… who is Ally McCoist’s boss, or is Ally the captain of the ship over there now?
Serious question. (honest)
mickbhoy1888 says:
17 February, 2012 at 14:06
Here we are less than 50 hours away from a game against the hibees and the usual suspects want to keep on bumping their gums about the Huns and taxes
Get a life they are finished wtf are you going to discuss when they are dead and gone……how paddy McCourt (who he) is world class
===============================================================================
Absolutely spot on. FAR too many eejits on here more concerned about ripping the erse out the defeated Huns than concentrating on Sunday’s match.
So here’s my starting formation. 4-4-2 :
Jelly.
Ice Cream (undecided on flavour), Hunners&Thousands, Chocolate sprinkle, Wee sausage roll.
Egg sandwich, Tuna sandwich, Chicken wing, PADDY.
Banana Split, Knickerbocker Glory.
Bench: Ginger, Pepsi, Coke, Lime Cordail, Tizer.
God bless Craigy White, the Govan Arthur Daley
This is a copy of what I sent to various addressees earlier today. I did post it earlier, but it’s held up in moderation, so if it re-appears later please ignore it. I have left out the addresses this time as I think they might be the things which stopped it posting.
To all those in the above addresses
My name is James Forrest and I, along with Paul Brennan of Celtic Quick News, (celticquicknews.co.uk) edit the monthly CQN Magazine, a digital publication produced and written by and for Celtic supporters. We have been hugely successful since launch – we are now working on issue 7 – and our recent front page featured a picture of Craig Whyte and Fergus McCann and asked “Fit & Proper” person questions. That issue has had 600,000 views this week alone.
You can view it here; http://www.calameo.com/read/000390171c1ea04287bcd
I am writing to you today because of the current situation regarding Rangers, and the interference by various political figures in the business of the Scottish game and their public, and private, efforts to get HMRC to back away from pursuing the taxes owed to them by that club.
Paul is urging many on the CQN forum to do the same, but I want to draw your attention to a couple of things in addition to my main point.
Stewart Regan, the Celtic Quick News website, and now the magazine, are swiftly becoming the most influential forums for Celtic fans which exist, either in Scotland or beyond. You have been the subject of much discussion on the website, and in a number of the magazine pieces. The reason for this is that Celtic fans, in the main, broadly support you in your objectives and find you to be a more transparent and forthright person than your predecessor, who was frankly hopeless and has gone on to prove it as the World’s Worst Tour Guide at Murray Park, where his job appears to be pointing reporters in the direction of the manager and saying “ask him.”
You have brought professionalism and stability to the post, and you have at least attempted reform – all of which is excellent, and good to see. You also took a difficult, but necessary, and correct, decision in the case of Hugh Dallas, which must have been tough considering the intolerable pressure you were placed under to arrive at a different decision. This won you much respect, and many friends, amongst our community.
The challenges you are about to face are going to be the biggest yet, as Rangers slips further into trouble and the depth of what has happened at that club becomes known. The SFA will be tested to the full, and you have to consider all the possible consequences of whichever decision you take. Celtic fans have a very strong view on the prospect of Rangers being given special treatment, as I am sure you can imagine. A decision which treats Rangers in a different way from you would treat a Motherwell, or a Dundee or a Livingston will not be acceptable, and could lead to many fans boycotting games altogether.
People tend to forget that Scottish football is not just about two teams. Those who say the game here needs Celtic and Rangers do a grave dis-service to every other club in the land, big or small. They play a role every bit as important as the two Glasgow giants, and almost all do so playing by a very simple set of rules, the one which Rangers don’t seem to believe apply.
Now, to the main point of my email, and the reason I have sent it to so many.
It is apparent that political pressure is being brought to bear on HMRC, for all we know other creditors, and the football authorities, over the future of Rangers. Politicians of various shades – from members of the Labour led Glasgow City Council to the Conservative and Unionist Prime Minister, through to the pro-independence Scottish First Minister, have offered their support for the club in the last few days and have urged HMRC to come to an agreement with them.
First, are all of these people completely unaware of the nature of what they are engaged in? Other Scottish clubs, and many in England, have suffered administration events in recent years, and the silence from the political class was deafening. Furthermore, other companies have suffered events like this, and some of them through no fault of their own. This kind of pressure on a major creditor is unprecedented, and could be construed as some form of State Aid, which, as I am sure you are all aware, is against the law. In case you need reminding – many of you have high pressure jobs, which I fully understand – here are the 5 “Key Questions” which have to be answered before action can be considered a provision of State Aid.
1) Is the measure granted by the state or through state resources?
2) Does it confer an advantage to an undertaking?
3) Is it selective, favouring certain undertakings?
4) Does the measure distort or have the potential to distort competition?
5) Is the activity tradable between member states?
In the first instance, we are talking about political representatives trying to secure what is the equivalent of a tax exemption for a football club. Political pressure can certainly be construed as a “measure granted by the state”, not to mention being seen as an attempt to influence the running of a government department. Furthermore, the money Rangers owes here is public money; to allow them to keep it would certainly tick box number 1.
In the second instance, it certainly confers an advantage to Rangers. It is a tax exemption. It writes off huge sums of money, which otherwise it would have to pay. The government’s own advice website on State Aid states that this “includes the direct transfer of resources, such as grants and soft loans, and also indirect assistance – for example, relief from charges that an undertaking normally has to bear, such as a tax exemption or the provision of services, loans, at a favourable rate.” Box number 2, then, is certainly ticked.
In terms of number 3, it is certainly selective, as no such pressures have been brought to bear in the past, and if Rangers were not a football club it would be unprecedented for politicians from all the main parties to seek to influence a government body in such a fashion. Even a measure which sought to exempt all football clubs from their tax liabilities would be considered a form of State Aid. If the parties wish to make this legal it has to be a nationwide policy, affecting everyone, and every sector, the same way. Box number three is ticked.
Box number 4 deals with distortion of competition. Stewart Regan, you already know that the effects of Rangers present policies have distorted competition in Scottish Football, and this is what has led us to this pass. Can you realistically argue that allowing Rangers to default on its taxes, or even a majority of them, and to re-emerge from this process as a debt-free entity would not be a further distortion of competition, to the detriment of everyone? Can any of the political figures here claim, with any degree of credibility that if two businesses in the same field were to run into trouble and one was to be helped with a nudge and a wink from government and the other was not, that this would distort competition? Could you say that it would not distort competition if two companies in the same business were competing for contracts, whatever, and one ran into trouble and was then bailed out that this would not distort competition? I know which way the EU would see this, and so I can safely say this tick’s box number 4.
As to the fifth point, I will simply quote the government’s own advice, in its entirety. “The Commission’s interpretation of this is broad – it is sufficient that a product or service is subject to trade between member states, even if the aid beneficiary itself does not export to the EU. Consequently most activities are viewed as tradable.” Tick box number 5.
The guidelines also helpfully give some examples of State Aid, for the record. These include:
# Loans and guarantees below market rates
# Free or subsidised consultancy advice
# Cash injections to and writing off losses of public enterprises
# Discretionary deferral of or exemption from tax, social security and other payments to the state
# Legislation to protect or guarantee market share
Further to all of this, political interference in football is specifically prohibited by UEFA and FIFA regulations, and there is a sliding scale of punishments which fall on the associations themselves, if they allow political entities to involve themselves in matters devolved to the game, which is why I have taken the liberty of including UEFA in this communication.
I am sure I do not need to remind people of what we are talking about in the Rangers tax crisis. This was not a company which ran into trouble because of bad economic conditions, or because of well-intentioned but nevertheless disastrous decisions of policy. What we are talking about here, if you remove the footballing aspect from the equation, is a business which sought to distort or ignore tax law in order to gain a competitive advantage. It was a wilful, possibly criminal, decision, and one which is as worthy of condemnation as the practices of Enron, AIG or Barings – a bank I mention very specifically, in context of my next point.
This is a company which not only flaunted tax law in the UK, but appointed to its board of directors a man who is accused of, and has been found guilty of, multiple tax frauds in another country (Dave King, South Africa). He is, in fact, the second largest shareholder after the present owner. Their club secretary during much of the time the original EBT scheme was being run is a man who went on to be a director of another club which set up a similar scheme, Heart of Midlothian. They too are in a long running dispute with HMRC over tax arrears. His name is Campbell Ogilvie, and he is the present first Vice President of the Scottish Football Association.
Rangers is presently run by a man named Craig Whyte, a man of what I shall euphemistically refer to as a colourful background, who has been in charge for a mere nine months. In that time he appears to have mortgaged season ticket revenues, has quite possibly put assets beyond the reach of the receiver and run up further tax bills of £10 million that we know of. He is currently the subject of one criminal investigation, again that we know of, and is the central figure in several non-criminal probes, but which have the capacity to become larger and more encompassing events. Notwithstanding the outcome of these probes, the example of Barings Bank is used because what happened there was the result of a break-down in corporate responsibility, regulation and governance and the action of a rogue trader.
Rangers is not where it is today because of one individual or one course of action. This is not the action of a single “rogue owner” but a long-standing perception inside the cultural heart of the club that it does not have to abide by ordinary rules. Shame on all of you if you pander to, or encourage, that appalling mind-set to continue, and grow.
Rangers Football Club has been at the centre of multiple tax evasion schemes, over a long number of years, involving numerous persons who have been suspected of engagement in widespread practices which, if the UK had a version of the RICO Act could possibly have resulted in the entire upper echelon of the club being indicted for racketeering. In many ways, with his background, Craig Whyte is actually the owner Rangers Football Club deserves. Their entire recent history made it almost inevitable they would enter into a relationship with such a man.
That many people in politics are ignoring these facts is ludicrous, and when I sit down to a write a full accounting of them for the magazine later this year I will be sure to name those who have given their public statements seemingly without thought to this.
All of it is now by the by, because things have come to a point where these events have caught up with the football club and those associated with it.
Political figures have no business interfering in this process in any way. The Exchequer is doing its own sterling work, and needs no advice or assistance. Such assistance could be a violation of the law and runs contrary to UEFA guidelines on government interference in the running of football, and it brings great peril upon everyone involved, from the head of the Scottish Football Association, who’s organisation could find itself in trouble, to the politicians who have to worry about perception and being seen to side with people who have defrauded the taxpayer and possibly worse.
I urge some wise-heads to prevail here, and for people to let things take the proper course, within the law and in keeping with the regulations as they would be applied to every other football club, indeed every other business, in the land, as well as in the spirit of fairness.
Surely that is not too much to ask.
Yours sincerely
James Forrest
On asked about devaluing titles he says he does not want to hear it but..but he also says there will be plenty to say about devaluing titles when the time comes.
Neil Francis Lennon
Dear Hugh
I know you will be reading this so, even though YOU have banned me from the ‘hotline’…….
I still wish you all the best m8.
So, after dispensing with the formalitie’s…..can I ask you a favour ?
Will you use your, considerable influence and ask Jim Delahunt, not to ban Terry O’Neill from Uddingston and, Frank from EK off the, SSB phone-in ? The fireworks are missing without those two fine gents! IMO!
P.S. I apologise for what I posted about your ghoodself, a couple of Fridays ago on here!
Hail! Hail!
Think that the sell out at ibrox tomorrow has got a lot to do with , sash bash, curiosity , final memories , may as well get as much out of
season book while I can
BBC canteen, Pacific Quay, an hour ago.
rfc will get away with it in Scotland
because
as someone posted recently….
the Orr report showed that during the 9 months of January to September 2004 the Police were aware of 1,428 marches or parades having taken place across Scotland.
755 of these were identified by Police as ‘Orange’ in nature; 18 as ‘Catholic or Republican’ and 655 as ‘Other’ (e.g. connected with things like Highland Games, other religions (e.g. Sikh, Hindu), Youth Groups (e.g. Scouts or Guides), Remembrance events, Council events, gala days and fetes, Riding of Marches, political or trade union activities, etc.)
amadeus says:
17 February, 2012 at 16:09
Cheers. Is the story defo on them?
Sandman
am not sure
but i think that the dashed line you have there cause el blog to “break”
not sure
tomtheleedstim says:
17 February, 2012 at 16:03 x 2
Tom have I told you that I am begging to develop a strong physical attraction to you ? ;-)
Hail Hail
BlantyreKev – Parcel=> says:
17 February, 2012 at 16:04
There’s now a clamour for tickets for tomorrow – ‘the last game at Ibrox for Rangers 1872′
How long till they start appearing on ebay?
—————————————————-
it feels like the jungles last stand . lol
parcel=======> just as well we are passing the parcel, as the huns cant afford to pay royal mail to do it !
Sandman Is Neil Lennon says:
17 February, 2012 at 16:07
what you on?
how can you have skoosh on the bench?