The entire football world should be delighted at the arrests of six Fifa executives in Switzerland this morning on warrants requested by US prosecutors. Fifa has successfully resisted reform, actively opposed transparency and supressed reports into corruption at the top of the world’s most lucrative sport.
No one will be surprised that president, Sepp Blatter, who was not one of the six arrested today, is deaf to calls for accountability at the top. He plans to stand in Friday’s election, no doubt keen to guide the Federation through its dealings with law enforcement agencies. Those arrested have yet to be charged with any crime, never mind successfully prosecuted, so Blatter has plausible deniability of wrongdoing on the part of Fifa, but under any properly constituted organisation he would step aside to let fresh blood reinvigorate the game.
The news that Swiss police are investigating the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process is even more welcome than the arrests. This investigation is separate to that being carried out by US authorities and may ultimately be more pivotal in freeing the game from the grasp of bribery and corruption.
Mike Ashley is getting his Rangers International PLC (RIPLC) General Meeting, on 12 June, at which, the directors of Rangers International PLC have decided to titillate shareholders with details of Rangers Retail Limited’s shareholders agreement, between the club and Ashley, although they note this agreement is subject to confidentiality agreements – and details appear to have been leaked today.
In an eye catching move, the directors of RIPLC are considering disapplying voting rights of shareholders who hold shares in other football clubs, in this case, Mike Ashley, who owns Newcastle United.
It’s worth saying this remains no more than bluster for now. They are “considering” disapplying rights and will lay out a “timetable for presenting a resolution for shareholders’ consideration”. I cannot believe they would be so self-harming that they would actually try to remove Ashley’s voting rights. Mike has the resources to destroy them in court, and it’s a tad futile to risk enormous legal consequences to disenfranchise someone when you and your supporters control the majority of shares. Ashley could easily circumnavigate any such act, should is be successful, but selling his shares to a trusted third party.
As such this element of the debate is futile, not even King is stupid enough to waste time and energy on it. He would lose heavily, and even if he won, Ashley would accommodate the outcome without breaking sweat. This is some tough talking but I’d like to see them try it (I genuinely would).
Two resolutions are proposed: the first by Ashley, that his £5m loan is repaid “as soon as possible”, in return for the release of security over RIPLC’s intellectual property, Murray Park, Albion Car Park and Edmiston House. Ashley is happy to hand this back, he’s a retailer, retail rights are what he’s interested in.
The second, proposed by the board, asks for shareholder approval to demand all of the club’s relationships with Sports Direct group companies, the loan, securities and the lucrative retail rights, are “renegotiated on a basis that is fair and reasonable”.
Here we get to the crux of the matter. Dave King told us months ago that Mike Ashley was a businessman, and that he would recognise the hand King dealt him and fold. The contrary view is that Mike Ashley is a businessman who will not be dictated to.
There’s a scene in Groundhog Day when lead character Phil, realising he can act without consequences, as even after death he’d pop up the next day as though nothing happened, drives onto a railway track.
Nodding to the oncoming train he says “I bet he’s going to swerve first”. Mike Ashley is the oncoming train. Trains don’t swerve. Groundhog Day looks increasingly likely, 06:00 will strike with an away day at Brechin under a provisional membership.
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Bada
As in our KC. Lisa’s bloke?
Hope so
HH jamesgang
WGS on the panel tonight, I love the wee mhans patter.
jamesgang-aye :)
TGBS-There was talk at that time of Nike buying Ronaldo,and moving him around top teams .
Bada Bing, is that quote from Kris Commons?
He’ll be on ra hun deff lizt coming away wi patter like that.
‘Paul Daniels, did you use hypnotism to seduce your young partner Debbie?’
‘no, but it was magic!’
My friends in Celtic,
It may not be the opinion of this blog, but I know many Celtic supporters who want “thems” to win over tomorrow and Sunday.
What is best for Celtic Football Club?
HH.
Kris Commons upsetting the zombies on Clyde tonight“that was the old rangers that won 9 in row “
mike in toronto
18:04 on
27 May, 2015
nah…. fair comment. besides, with the duffy trial and an upcoming election, I think he has a lot more to worry about than me. Then again, with him, Trudeau or Mulcair likely ending up as new PM, all canadians have a lot to worry about!
*could be worse, horwath could be federal. she cost the province millions in trying to be queen of Ontario and now seems to be firing up the teachers unions. nothing against teachers BTW, I have 2 daughters and a son-in-law in that profession.
Bada bing,
That is true, but for the good of Scottish football he wants them back in the top flight.
HH.
New SNP MP Brendan O’Hara with a wee reference to the Celtic in his maiden speech in the Commons tonight.
!!bada bing!!
19:17 on 27 May, 2015
KC upsetting the zombies on Clyde tonight
“that was the old rangers that won 9 in row ”
———————-
He shouldn’t be doing that interview, every question has been about sevco…he also said he wanted them back in the league.
FFS
tomorrow we’ll be asking him about the Scottish cup final, and how hard it was to be beaten by ICT in the semi …..
God give me strength!!!!!!
“So, Debbie McGhee, tell us,
what first attracted you to Millionaire Paul Daniels?”
Speaking of Paul Daniels
Has anybody seen CT lately
Pub Time
jude breaks cover and phones the phone in, using his phone
Greenpinata 19:25 on 27 May, 2015
My friends in Celtic,
It may not be the opinion of this blog, but I know many Celtic supporters who want “thems” to win over tomorrow and Sunday.
What is best for Celtic Football Club?
HH.
…………………….
Hi gp
I don’t know any (in my admittedly smallish circle) Celtic fans who want them to prevail.
Personally, my life is better without them at all, or with them in the same league – ever.
Barcabhoys figures (featured in Paul’s article) from a few weeks ago suggest that Celtic are better off financially without them.
If they have to exist then please make it a broken variety where they have no money are riddled with dissension, infighting and debt they can’t service – in the lower divisions of Icelandic football.
Cannot grasp why any Celtic fan wants them back, but we are that famous thing a “broadchurch”.
Hope you are well.
HH
pedrocaravanachio67-i agree mate,every question loaded.
Advocatt has left Sunderland
Watch ur back mullet
Jamesgang …
I suspect that you are right about Turkey .(except the part about too much donner … didn’t think that was possible …love them!)
but the better half was there before and had a bad experience, so she was a bit spooked by the recent travel advisories … and there is so much else in the world to see that I will be happy wherever we go … and I couldn’t enjoy Turkey if I knew she was uncomfortable …
There are a few places/things I would love to do at some point … a safari in Africa … cambodia/vietnam …. scuba dive with a shark (whale shark would be great … I went diving in Roatan to see one, but couldn’t find one. I thought ‘They are bloody big creatures, how could I not see one?!.. then you swim and realize how small they are compared to the ocean!)….
But as I get older, I am becoming more sentimental ..
I have the nicest memories of my dad’s family in Donegal … my brother and I taking my granda’s donkey (Toby) down to the bog while he and my uncles cut the peat for the house …. even 40 years later, the smell of a peat fire still makes me think of Donegal …
although I have split my life between Scotland and Canada, in many ways, Ireland has always felt like my spiritual home (I probably got that from my dad, and his love of Donegal!).
And, since she never got to meet my dad, I would love to take KT to see my dad’s stone at Celtic Park. After my dad passed, we donated a bench to the university of Toronto in his memory. He never had the chance to go to university, but he came to Canada so that my brother and I could have a better life, and he insisted we go to university. both my brother and I graduated from UoT, so it seemed like a fitting tribute to my dad, and we sometimes go and visit his bench, and leave a packet of smokes for him. But, taking her to Celtic Park would be special …
Taking her to a game might be the best way I can help her get to know my dad, and it might help her see why Celtic is such a big part of my life …
Europa League Final on ITV 4
I know of no Celtic supporters who want Rangers back. I hope they get hammered. This is the first of many reprisals of their football version of glen close coming back to life.
They are already tapping up players that they can’t afford to sign and trying to renegotiate contracts that are in no ones interest to change but theirs. It’s not a negotiation but they are the bully boys… Or so they think.
I fancy Skippy to atone for black Sunday.
Joe Miller just said re Sevco – you don’t want to play cards with someone who has been caught cheating.
Kris Commons said that playing Sevco win February was a walk over – they were scared, happy for us to have the ball and were arguing amongst themselves going off at half time.
Keevins – who was shopping today in the superstore – framed just about every question around Sevco.
Greenpinata,
I am sanguine about their “return”. Ultimately, I always expected them to reappear from the grave.
Didn’t think it would take 3 years (was sure league reconstruction would have kicked in long before…). But I’ve been bracing myself for it for a while.
Yes, it’ll be horrible listening to their arrogance, but ultimately, they are a wreck of a club. I believe they would not be able to live with us for years and years, and their impoverishment would be as funny as their wretched “journey” through the lower leagues.
Ultimately, we should focus on us. We are in a strong position, poised to dominate the game for many years to come, and maybe even make decent progress in Europe for the first time in a few years.
I’l be cheering for Well tomorrow, but if they do it, so be it. Like the poor, they will always be with us.
Mullet and co 2 – I don’t doubt you for a second but see that big empty section in the Upper Lisbon Lions stand. That won’t be empty if TRFC get promoted. That grinds my gears a little.
The Campbell Ogilvie strategy all along has been to keep his head down, say nothing publicly, and not interrupt his enemies as they, in his view, waste their ammunition at a guy safely tucked up in his bunker and protected by some serious figures.
He has been waiting for the day when most Celts and fans of other clubs just get tired and want to go back to playing them at fitba’. The guys that want precisely that will get a rapturous reception from the Ibrox fans because that is what they have been telling all us internet bams and obsessives to do since 2012- “Look! You cannae beat us because we are the people. At least on the field you have half a chance, if you can overcome the referees and our illegal spending- so why not be a good Timmie and just get back to playing the fitba and pretending nothing happened here. You know? The good auld O** F*** days!”
I frankly do not care whether we call what happened “corruption” or merely an unfortunate series of unintended incompetent acts, because either way Scottish football got screwed and the guys that did the screwing did not pay any official price for it. The only actions that were taken were taken because of a threat of a fan uprising. No one wanted to place the new Ibrox club in the 4th tier, already an advantaged position, the default was to want them retained in the top tier, failing that the tier below.
The corrupt or incompetent guys behind that original plan are all still in place.
And those of us who are still detemined that justice is brought to bear on them are being caricatured as “wallowing in a victim mentality”. That’s Alice in Wonderland thinking. That’s believing the card sharp that diddled you out of your wages is still, at heart, your pal, and you look forward to another chance to gamble your wages with him.
That’s the victim mentality, right there. Thinking that all this is inevitable, “ah, sure what can you do? If you can’t beat them, why not join them.”
Let’s have a big Welcome back to the O** F***
Not a Celtic fan on Clyde at the moment
Rangers were put down:liquidated
Refers to Celtic on two occasions as them
Mike in Toronto@1941
A lovely post.
Hope to meet you some day.
HH!!
there is no thems to come back.
there is a zombie monkey hun entity pretending to be them,
whatever the club is, its the hun support i dont want anywhere near celtic park.
MiT
A lovely post.
I think she’d be very moved to see what Paradise is all about and amazed by the reception you’d both receive from the ghuys n Ghals from here.
My Dad was really struck by it. It meant a lot to him, especially having read the many messages posted when my Mum passed.
Prediction. You’ll shed a tear or two.
You’d have to eat some amount of kebabs to replicate that!
Laters Timdom
HH jamesgang
The D in Dnipro is silent *just in case your wife comes in and says whose playing*
PS FOD in the tip league?
It’s a GTF if at all possible from me.
HH jamesgang
sftb … top post sir! hat doffed! They definitely banked on people giving up, and ceasing to care … if anything, the delay has just made me angrier!
Tip = top!
1-0 Dnipro good goal
mike in toronto
19:41 on
27 May, 2015
Lovely post
pedrocaravanachio67@19:32
agree 100% all questions are designed to trip our players up and create a news story
HH
All Sevilla then Dnipro one attack and score. Fitba, eh?
*nipro one up.
mike
the bbc is running a superbe series on sharks just now well worth catching