Campbell Ogilvie was an executive director of Rangers for the first five years of their Employee Benefit Trusts and during their earlier illegally-executed tax avoidance Discount Options Scheme. He received a ‘loan’ from a Rangers EBT, which he has not repaid and is not expected to repay, and recently described his company responsibilities during this period to a friendly journalist as being administrative, and then legislative.
He has been a director of the SFA for 22 years and is now president.
During the period when Ogilvie was director of both Rangers and the SFA the club illegally registered dozens of footballers with the SFA. All directors are responsible for actions of a company, executive directors especially so. Those who represent themselves as having administrative and legislative roles, absolutely so.
SFA chief executive, Stewart Regan, yesterday defended Ogilvie’s shameless refusal to resign by offering a defence which echoed Rangers ‘Craig Whyte acted alone’ defence, which was comprehensively dismissed by the SFA Judicial Tribunal.
Regan said, “We have had very clear feedback that the president was not involved in any letter or correspondence with regards to player EBTs.
“We are all aware of businesses being run where you have one owner and operator running the club and a number of directors sitting below. The way this process has been managed, a lot of this correspondence was done much higher up the chain than Campbell Ogilvie.”
This is cringe-worthy nonsense and gets to the heart of the lack of corporate governance at the SFA. Mr Regan is not qualified to assure us that Mr Ogilvie has no case to answer. That is not a judgement for him to make and is certainly not an inference that can be made on the basis of private comments from Mr Ogilvie or other former Rangers directors similarly contaminated by this issue.
Before the chief executive can state as fact how Rangers conducted their business, and the limited involvement of Mr Ogilvie, some form of inquiry must have taken place. No such inquiry happened.
“We have had very clear feedback”, said Mr Regan. Who is “we”, was it an independent panel that received this feedback, or did Mr Regan deal with this personally? Who gave the feedback? Was Mr Ogilvie subject to the same independent scrutiny as anyone else in the game, from Neil Lennon to Craig Whyte, or was this passed off with a handshake?
Mr Regan’s failure to recognise the serious corporate governance failures in his conduct is alarming. We don’t need this guy to know the offside rule but he has to understand good corporate governance requires questions against your president to be openly and independently investigated.
When these are our standards, what else is the executive turning a blind eye to?
Mr Regan was careful to limit his claim on what Mr Ogilvie was not party to. “We have had very clear feedback that the president was not involved in any letter or correspondence with regards to player EBTs” sounds like a substantial piece of information but it’s not.
This only claims that Mr Ogilvie did not author any side letter or contract relating to an EBT, which is not in doubt. The important issue is clearly Mr Ogilvie knew dozens of players had EBTs, he knew football players’ remuneration is subject to detailed written contracts and he knew all money paid to a player, from any source, in relation to football, must be detailed on his contract and registered with the SFA.
For Rangers players’ EBTs to be consistent with SFA and Fifa requirements they would need to be completely discretionary, an optional extra the players were unable to rely on. Mr Ogilvie, the Great Football Administrator, knew all of this.
Instead of good corporate governance we appear to have a self-certified president – we know Mr Ogilvie did nothing wrong because Mr Ogilvie said he did nothing wrong. He is at once, a Great Football Administrator and unaware of the football administration actions of the company he was legally responsible for.
Ogilvie was an executive director of Rangers. It was his responsibility as a director of Rangers to ensure that the club contracts and legislative responsibilities were conducted in a proper manner. He was simultaneously a director of the SFA. It was his responsibility as a director of the SFA to ensure the Association was run in an even-handed manner, that one club – his club or any other – could not load the dice.
Regan went on to say “Since February 14 he has had no involvement at all in any board meetings, any decisions or any meetings with the club.”
It is reassuring that he has withdrawn from an important part of the legislative process of the SFA but his prominent participation in yesterday’s AGM confirms that his influence in other areas remains.
Regan added “[EBTs] are illegal if they are used knowingly in an incorrect manner. That is something we are still waiting for facts on. But I am satisfied that Campbell has discharged his duty of care. He has done everything we could have asked of him and, so far as his integrity is concerned, he is a man with many years as a highly respected administrator across the game of football in Scotland.”
“So far as his integrity is concerned….many years …. respected administrator”. Those words may bring to mind all those years Ogilvie was at Ibrox while Rangers sectarian signing policy was in place.
Regan dismissed calls for his own resignation, no doubt confident he can self-certify his performance.
I am hugely reluctant to open a political debate, but does the painful lack of accountability and scrutiny in Scotland not alarm you? The actions (inactions) of Ogilvie and Regan would never be accepted in England, where structures exist to hold officials to account. As a relic from Rangers sectarian signing policy days, Ogilvie would be regarded as an embarrassing dinosaur, he would never be made president! The ability for officials to state facts without an inquiry would never be tolerated.
We look more like a rotten borough than a country with the mechanisms necessary to nurture a successful state. Where’s your voice now, Mr Salmond?
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sannabhoy
I noticed that you can’t change your predictions, your machine needs a wee oil, two of the scores I put in came up different, in saying that, the new scores might just win it for me :>)))))
MWD, thanks. I know what you mean now!
Sffs
Moonbeams WD. Kano 1000 \o/ Supporting Neil Lennon 100%. Champions. on 7 June, 2012 at 22:23:
You are spot on, the old broken window theory. HMRC are definitely faceless but they are busying away.
In reference to your spitting at windows etc. I have friends who have experienced this since 14th February.
Hope you are well mate, gave a message to Vhman to pass on to you.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
sannabhoy
:-) it’s an omen.
Mort
sannabhoy on 7 June, 2012 at 22:31 said:
Not your slapper tho ya big numpty ;-)
BFAM
HH
Ajax, Inter Milan, Real Madrid.
Big names, big attractions, big gates.
Who have the administrators lined up for Rangers’ pre season games?
And who will be paying the bills?
TET
Can’t disagree on that…..most evident in how they are dealing with RIA… Certainly don’t think all Scots are in that category…
MWD
Fully agree…..have felt for some time that they are all waiting for HMRC to put the final nail in the coffin…
Time for me to go Ghuys, enjoyed the debate tonight. Don’t think anybody has fallen out either…respect.
Until we meet again…
I smell liquid…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
GG 22.39
http://www.football365.com/rangers/7798973/Gers-to-face-Rodinghausen?
67heaven
I would wager the majority of scotts are NOT in that catagorie, problem is the powers are.
It’s a bit like hte new media vs the old media, whatever the faults of the old media, they are still the ones with the megaphone.
Could have found another date for Cliftonville,to send a decent team over for the bhoys who do a power of travelling to support the team IMO.
TET, one of the drawbacks , unfortunately . although if the score is different you can get it changed – i think. But just imagine , you’ll get an up to date table within seconds of each game – not at TTT time ,
Mort, are right.
Bundoranbhoy, BFAM, I’m gutted but maybe just as well.
That’s an excellent article, Paul, apart from the closing paragraphs.
The situation in England is riddled with corruption and is no model for the Scottish game to aspire to. Without naming names such as Richard Scudamore, it’s hard for me to say much of a specific nature but the extent of international money-laundering, match-fixing, bent refereeing, jobs for the boys and collusion with illegal online gambling markets is probably greater in England than any other footballing territory in the world.
Craig Whyte and Emerald Green are not nice people but on a fit-and-proper-person scale, they’re nowhere near the league of a Thaksin Shinawatra or a Milan Mandaric or a member of the Gaydamak family. Cuddly Roman Abramovic has been given the kind of free ride in the English press which Minty would envy and practically no awkward questions have ever been raised about his background. Speaking of Minty, his old pal , the completely wholesome Joe Lewis, is the majority Shareholder in Spurs. I suppose you can’t get much more fit and proper than the man who almost single-handedly sucked £3.3 billion out of the UK economy and forced the Treasury to blow something like £27 billion of reserves to prop up the pound on Black Wednesday.
East London wide boy Terry Venables was the manager of England’s national side. Harry Redknapp would have been another England manager had it not been for the unfortunate fact that when the England job becomes available he is usually in the middle of one of his serial skin-of-the-teeth escapes from corruption charges.
The current England manager is the same Roy Hodgson who defied anti-apartheid sporting sanctions in South Africa and now has to deal with the moral issues surrounding the selection of the racist John Terry and the exclusion of Rio Ferdinand from the England squad while the English FA sits on its hands.
We have our problems here.
The English have many, many more.
Bookies Pen:
The hun falls into the typical doff yer cap to authority trap they always fall into- if your just an ordinary bampot then you know nothing. But in this day and age, with that there internet, via other sources of info, you can teach yourself practically anything. Its all open to us all. Knowledge is free. Even “experts” get it wrong. Sometimes bampots get it right. There is no monopoly on knowledge.
An expert is someone who knows more & more about less & less.
The huns just assumed the lunatics couldn’t be right- their assumptions proved their downfall.
sannabhoy
It’s not a bother….
I put Spain to draw 1-1 with Italy, it came up 2-1 to Spain, fine with me, I put France 3-1 against Engerlund, it came up 4-1, even better :>)))
Mort, aye right
matt mcglone@MattMcGlone9
Celtic V Inter Milan, Celtic Park pre-season July 28th, 2012
sannabhoy
Sent you an email to the predictor account so it might go to TTT instead.
Finally got dues for previous comp sorted.
Mort
Broony’s choice as POTY, http://youtu.be/XM0HTPlglMM
A Dumwit.. is..
Somebuddy, who knows, Less and Less.. aboot Mair and Mair…
Until, Soon….
He knows Practically.. Naethin’…. aboot.. well.. EVERYTHING!
Noo ye know.
Kojo
Still, Laughin’
Night all…let the monitoring continue ……. Nearly there
HenryClarson on 7 June, 2012 at 22:49 said:
Where is that article from?
Huns tax evasion get a mention on Question time – Dumbilby ignores it
Whit is Trewth, Anyway?
Trewth, is Wit ye Believe.
So,If ye Believe it.. then.
It Must be Trew?
Right?
Let me think aboot that..
Hmmmmm
Yep.. that… is Trew.
Howevahhhh.. Although, Wit ye Believe tae Be Trew..
is Not Necessarily.. well… Trew.
Hey.. Waita Cotton Pickin’ Minute!
Ye jis told me that ..
If Ye Believe it.. It Must Be Trew!
So Ah did… But… Ah didnae Believe whit Ah told YOU!
Huh?
The Above discussion,wiz over heard, taking Place… In the Conference Room.
at… Letherby Drive.
Kojo
Still, Laughin’
T I
Saw that. But maybe he didnt understand the Q. I do think someone clapped tho!!
Apologies,
But, what if we were guaranteed NO SUNDAY GAMES, helps the far flung tims.
And, the huns, as a punishment (stop it!) always played on a Sunday, not quite neutering their scumbag element but in these days of austerity, DEARER.
Would you allow they f~~# :s’#;;,,.
Back into the SPL?
The amount of people and cash, eh, that Celtic and, our community lost due to Sunday games this season is, well, deliberate!
BRTH
Great shout re Lubo.
Mr Traynor says ( this could go succulent lamb-tastic, btw)…..
“They still find it difficult to believe Celtic didn’t sign reinforcements during the close season and they are appalled that a top-class striker has not yet been secured.
If anything the signing of Lubomir Moravcik at a cut price has merely caused them further embarrassment. ”
Good God Jim. You really did say that. Obviously homework / research not a strong point back then either.
BDO Better Dead (than) Orange. Nighty night.
CaltonTongues
Not at all, most of our sunday games are away games.
I hope they go to the burnie fire.
Time to retire, work in the early hours, trying to mix dyes that resembles Chelsea blue, feckin latex gloves leaked, hands are a rather nasty colour,even after washing with thinners, things you do for money eh !
Take care and god bless
HH
KTF
CT
I remember when I first met you that I thought English was your second language.
Your post at 23:22 confirms that!! :-)
Gotta Go..
Good Night Scotland
Good Night Ireland
Good Night Wales
Good Night England
Good Night Canada
Good Night New Zealand
Good Night Australia.
And
Good Night.. Andrew McCarran, wherever, you are.
Kojo
Still Laughin’
On Q T tonight that most of the audience are from south of the border and its from Inverness. Interesting!!
Seven clubs reported to be in the hunt to land Celtic hit man
No less than seven clubs are reported to be interested in the services of Celtic striker Georgios Samaras. The Italian media are claiming that Juventus, Palermo, Bologna, Chievo, Fiorentina, Udinese and German outfit Werder Bremen are all on the trail of the Greek international striker.
Samaras joined Manchester City for a fee of £6 million in 2006, however after Sven-Göran Eriksson took over as City manager Samaras found himself as an outcast and in January 2008 he was loaned out to Scottish Premier League team Celtic. While he was with the Scottish giants he helped them win the title for a third season in a row. Celtic signed him at the end of the loan spell and since moving to Glasgow he has won the 2008–09 Scottish League Cup, 2010–11 Scottish Cup as well as the 2011-12 Scottish Premier League.
Samaras contract runs out in 2014 and a fee in the region of 3 million Euros is being touted, which does seem slightly on the cheap side and with so much interest in the striker one would think that Celtic could push for more, that is if they even intend to sell.
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on 7 June, 2012 at 23:35 said:
How do you know where they’re from?
Hail Lubo and goodnight.
Nat
Twang????
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1422501/Are-you-Masons-challenge-to-judges.html
Not just the celts that’s are paranoid.
Picts are too, it seems