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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tb2-No still got a few episodes to go,tell Declan hi :}
Paul67
The only logical explanation for all that is going on / has gone on at the SFA is secret handshakes all round nudge nudge wink wink you look after me and I’ll look after you – has to be – nothing else makes any sense.
gerrybhoy
Thanks for that. Have checked and you are right. If it looks too good to be true and all that. In order to prevent myself adding gambling to my reasons why destitute I have withdrawn the original amount and wiped the app off my phone and will email them to cancel account.
Hun who suggested it is doing the same.
HH
SIALF
The Moon Bhoys – The only logical explanation for all that is going on / has gone on at the SFA is secret handshakes all round
Or, David Icke was right. (thumbsup)
Larkhall has it’s own CSC. He sits near me in block 143.
Jobo
Last week I posted last week but yoyu never got back to me.
I spent summer of 2010 in Sensatori Hotel Mexico near cancun.
I found the wee brochure thing that is actually the tickets for holiday last week whilst
checking out passports for this years holiday.
It gives hotel and area info and you can have it if you want.
Leaving work now heading back to watch my youngest kid train up at Ballerup so wont be back in house till after 7 if its any use..
So….if all this is allowed to stand,then the only way forward is for every single team in Scotland to behave like rfcia; then we have a level playing field.
Now that honesty & integrity are patently displayed to be non-existent in our F.A. what else is left to do?
I can think of no league in the world that has been as comprehensively corrupted,with impunity,by one team,as the spl.
Even the Italians would blush at how brazen it us.
And that’s even without beginning to mention the additional aid they’ve had from blatant mibbery.
The whole rotten,stinking mess is astounding in its scale.
And yet,and yet….the orcs bleat and whinge that not enough is being done to help them.
Ye gods…..
That succulent lamb must have been finger ticklin’ good yesterday.
Weeminger 17.04
I took a photo of them with their flag in seville :)))
I still have it somewhere.
HAIL HAIL
jc2 –
Thanks for the suggestion and sorry for missing your earlier post. We’re going on 7 July so any info before then would be fantastic. I think the protocol here is that I email Paul67 and ask him to pass that on to you, so I’ll do that now.
Jobo.
Only in Scotland would the nation rush to rally round to save a shite that any other country in the world would be rushing to flush away.
Scottish football is a corpse no one wants to put in the ground
Philvisreturns @ 17.04.
Sorry Phil haven’t a clue where David Icke fits into this but let me say that you are my favourite CQN comedy poster, streets ahead of anyone else, keep them coming.
TICK TOCK TICK TOCK
http://local.stv.tv/glasgow/105193-hmrc-arrange-for-liquidators-at-rangers-if-administrators-fail-to-save-club/
HAIL HAIL
regan gone the way of many others
The Moon Bhoys
are you philvis ? (it’s an attempt, c’mon give me a charity clap)
Paul67
Great article sadly our hopes of justice diminish daily.
Guy on a Pogo Stick has just overtaken me on the Kingston Bridge.
WestBound CSC
Is Duff & Phelps, Ticketus, Craig Whyte and Charles Green not the same team ?
Playing a charade where they are hoping to block HMRC voting against the CVA by accumulating monies owed quicker than HMRC ?
When Paul67 calls for political intervention you need to be concerned. Very concerned.
I reckon rfcia will be on the fixture list for 12/13 season.
I reckon they will pre pack admin 5~6 weeks into the new season and they might even be given some financial assistence like Gretna were.
Did rfcia get their SPL prize money for this year ?
20 pt deduction. 10 for admin or is it now a third of last years total and surely the 10 deducted from last season should not be included ?
And 10 for not paying for Wallace …. Possibly not found proven like the Dundee Utd sc money owed.
I do think that we need to divorce newclub from our thinking with regards operation Green Hornet.
HH
The Moon Bhoys – Out of all the people who post on CQN, you are certainly one of them. (thumbsup)
They are all in the orange lodge all of them freemasons – nothing else makes any sense imo.
The Moon Bhoys. Every last one of them Fella.H.H.
bournsouprecipe@17:21
Now yer talkin!
Salvador Dali CSC
Phil – its OK mate I’m already on board – you are the main man on CQN imo.
The Moon Bhoys – I hope it doesn’t sound arrogant when I say that I am the greatest man in the world. (thumbsup)
No cults on CQN…
HH
Apart from……
Any new club should not be playing in the SPL period ,if they are then we can all switch the light off and take up golf or some other pastime as the game will be finished .
IMO they are going to suffer the big L ,if so ,they apply for Div3 pure and simple .
The way the SFA/SPL are squirming and stalling to give a cheating club every advantage to try and ensure they do not go to Div 3 is an absolute disgrace and shames Scottish football .
A new club is just that a new club and as such should start at the bottom of the leagues and work (yes that’s work )their way up
HH
The SFA need to be audited to see if they are fit for purpose because quite clearly they are not – and it should be made clear at the outset of the audit that freemasonery should play no part in the administration of Scottish football. Decisions affected by freemasonry such as Yeah Campbell as a great guy no need to worry about him would be declared null and void.
Paul 67
I agree with what you say about the SFA but what I do not understand is this, many of the clubs in Scotland have on their boards businessmen who understand governance and accountabilty why is the SFA getting away with this?
Of the top of my head we have Celtic a plc, Aberdeen Stewart Milne builders, Tom Farmer at Hibs of Kwik Fit yet no one wants to challenge Regan apparently, again why?
A billion pound to keep timmy down and we wont draw a line in the sand ?
How about this as a plan.
We put the entire squad up for sale.
We indicate who we intend to sue and why
and we hope to raise enough money to keep the lawyers busy for years.
We hand in our notice to the SPL.
We sell Lennoxtown.
We convert Celtic Park into our training ground and HQ
We buy a club in London and play our games there.
HH
Rangers parachuting into the SPL opens the door for us to Parachute into the EPL.
It also keeps all spanish teams and heavily indebted English clubs in UEFA competition.
HH
Just been accused by huns in my work of being “obsessed by their situation.”
I mention wee snippets to them which I read on here, Paul McConville and RTC which they know nothing about and don’t want to know about as it doesn’t concern them!!!
I’ve accused them of “walking away” which they respond with “Don’t be riduculous, once it’s all sorted out and the season starts again, we’ll all be backing the gers.”
Honestly, you couldn’t make it up!!!
Ghuys
Regan’s rather ‘schoolboy’ excuse-making for CO is in stark contrast to the legal , forensic mindset applied by members of his Independent Judicial panel. Somewhat perplexing for a guy that waved bye-bye to Dallas.
CO will be damned when the FTT report rinses the Shame’s board and I suspect that CO did provide evidence and that his Sergeant Schultz excuses will cut no ice with a bunch of senior tax judges…… CO’s day in the headlines will come.
On the Shame’s 12 month transfer ban being reviewed. Whilst, I get the panel’s idea of a 12 month punishment equating to 12 month tax & sporting cheating, it still falls short of a just punishment.
I believe that the Appeal Panel should consider the following:
– Increase the transfer ban to 24 months
– Suspension for 12 months , backdated to the start of last season which would have the impact of relegating the Shame.
This seems just to me.
If there is another load of moaning from the Shame about this not be written into the exact letter of the punishments and that they will go back to CoS then termination will be required.
14june2012cvlcfc
miki67 on 7 June, 2012 at 15:32 said:
Last word : assets CANNOT be transferred to a ‘Newco’….not legally anyway. To do so would be FRAUD.
But,after yesterday’s tripe from the sfa….it is obvious for all to see now that it is part of the fabric of Scotland and is institutional. It’s over….the deal has been in place from the outset of this scandal and I will not bend my brain over this any more.
It is impossible to argue with bigots, and completely institutionalised corruption.
Impossibe!
Adios.
miki67 on 7 June, 2012 at 17:07 said:
So….if all this is allowed to stand…
—–
I have had longer lunch breaks than your reitrement from considering the plight of the Orc!
Enjoying your posts but dont make empty threats or I’ll literally rip your metaphorical head off. And I mean it! Seriously!
internethardmanamICSC
HH
bunburybhoy
Maybe it was a fish!
Surreal CSC
http://local.stv.tv/glasgow/105217-rangers-owner-craig-whyte-threatens-to-sue-scottish-football-association/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
weeminger on 7 June, 2012 at 17:04 said:
I got a ‘lift’ on the Larkhall CS bus some time ago ……. Real Celtic supporters … great experience……..
Bug eyes likes the legal threat he uses it all the time but seldom carries it out. Green and Whyte have Scottish football sown up like a hernia scar. H.H.
merseycelt lmfao as the big house door slams shut on 7 June, 2012 at 17:52 said:
>>>
Ach well…..I’m just ragin’….aren’t you?
And I am going to try to take more of a back seat,coz this is all dominating too much of my life these days…and that’s no good. There’s so much more to life than contemplating gangsters all day.
HH!
:-)