Fit & Proper test opens Pandora’s Box

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I hear the SFA had asked for clarification on Craig Whyte’s alleged disqualification as a director, without getting confirmation one way or another, since the issue was initially brought to their attention by the landmark BBC documentary, Rangers: The Inside Story.  Rangers disclosure to the Plus Exchange (where the club’s shares are traded) on Wednesday that this specific BBC allegation was correct, was the information the SFA needed before they were in a position to act and apply a Fit and Proper Person (FPP) test to Whyte.

Dramatic though it sounds, failing a FPP test, in itself, is only likely to cause superficial damage to a club or its owner.  An owner would need to resign as a director but he could allow the other directors to continue running the business, or he could appoint a proxy to take control of the business, which is often the way controllers run football clubs anyway.

What is of more interest, however, are matters likely to be disclosed as part of the SFA investigation.  The Association would require Mr Whyte to explain what he did to be barred from holding a directorship for seven years, something the BBC lawyers would be able to question Whyte on in the witness box, should he actually sue, instead of repeatedly threatening to do so.

Of most interest to the SFA will be Rangers financial submission for their Uefa licence, which enabled the club to be nominated as Scotland’s participants in this season’s Champions League.  A condition of participation in Uefa competitions is that no debts to tax authorities due on 31 December the preceding year remains unpaid on 31 March.

In September HM Revenue and Customs gained permission from the court to freeze £2.3m of Rangers money in connection with an unpaid tax bill.  The principle element of this bill has not been disputed by Rangers.  The SFA will now be keen to establish if any part of this bill was in connection to taxes due in prior to 31 December 2010.  If it was, Celtic were entitled to be Scotland’s Champions League representatives, when overcoming the likes of Malmo stood between them and a £15m pay-day.

This is a legal minefield for the SFA chief exec, Stewart Regan, who has my sympathy. Things are about to become interesting.

While we are on the subject of that £2.3m tax bill, HM Revenue and Customs are due to get their hands on the cash after Friday next week, the last day Rangers are able to dispute the debt. If Rangers enter administration prior to that date, the cash would revert to the administrator and the club’s secured creditors would be entitled to it.

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  1. kitalba says:

     

    3 December, 2011 at 14:58

     

     

     

    ‘Yeah a nutter who does not hide.’

     

     

     

    Given that you’re in Australia I’m not sure how we’re supposed to know whether you’re hiding or not.

  2. The Honest Cover-up on

    hen1rik says:

     

    3 December, 2011 at 14:39

     

     

    No, I was being facetious. Even if the bill is or has been under appeal, it clearly wasn’t on 31st March 2011 which is what matters re Euro licence. There has been talk of an appeal for the penalty charges and I’m sure this will be used by Traynor and the lackies to muddy the waters when it is “raked up” by Timmy.

     

    The amount of disinformation coming from Whyte and the media is staggering. This whole episode from the first headline of the “Whyte Knight” to the bitter end of Rangers will make a fascinating book one day.

  3. thebhoydaveJAPAN on

    Hahahahahahahaa……

     

     

    I just tuned into wee sausage for the huns game & I caught the tail end of their pre match program.

     

    All I heard was a Braveheart soundtrack “You may take our lives… but you will not take our.. freEEDOMMMmmmm”

     

    WTF!?

     

    Is this the last throw?

     

    Then the teams are lead out with saltires all over the gaff.

     

    Pathetic posturing to whom?

     

    The SNP?

     

     

    tbdJ

  4. .

     

     

    1. Allan McGregor

     

    4 Kirk Broadfoot

     

    22 Kyle Bartley

     

    2 Dorin Goian

     

    16 Steven Whittaker

     

    8 Steven Davis

     

    27 Gregg Wylde

     

    33 Thomas Kind Bendiksen

     

    19 Sone Aluko

     

    7 Maurice Edu

     

    9 Nikica Jelavic

     

    Substitutes

     

    6 Lee McCulloch

     

    17 Juan Manuel Ortiz

     

    38 Kane Hemmings

     

    11 Kyle Lafferty

     

    21 Alejandro Bedoya

     

    25 Neil Alexander

     

    32 Ross Perry

     

     

    Summa ft SuperstitionCSC

  5. The Honest Cover-up on

    kitalba says:

     

    3 December, 2011 at 14:57

     

     

    Watch your language. Take a deep breath. Go to bed and sober up.

  6. Noo that that is oota the way..

     

     

    oan wit the Show..

     

     

    By Broonie ,no Comin back tae the Fold..

     

     

    As Ah am wont tae say..

     

     

    “This is anither Fine Mess ,that ye hiv Goat Us Intae”

     

     

    “But, Ollie… Ah thought that Yer Liked ,Broonie?”

     

     

    “Stanley, Ye shoulda Left weel alain…

     

     

    Noo.. Whita Are We gonna dae Wi, Four Mid Fielders.. and only hiving Two Places Available?”

     

     

    “Geee, Ollie.. Ah nevah thought aboot THAT!

     

    An guess, we wull hivtae Get Rida.. At Least Wan o’ them ,noo”

     

     

    “Ah told ye, Stanley, ye shoulda Let , Broonie.. Leave”

     

     

    Kojo

  7. Over...and...Over on

    Kojo says:

     

    1 December, 2011 at 17:40

     

     

    Over n Over?????

     

     

    Another..

     

     

    “Too Good Tae Be True” …

     

    (And it Is!)… Nomme de Blog!

     

     

    I asked you yesterday to clarify what you meant by your post, surely when someone ask you a polite, direct question it is only courteous to reply.

  8. KOJO you touched a personal fresh sore point for which i think you apologised i dont know if you did or if kitalba is aware if you did.

     

    annnnnnnnnd yesssssssss i do enjoy and value his posts as i do yours.

     

    HAIL HAIL

  9. ernie lynch:

     

     

    you want to meet me? I’ll give you lot’s of notice as to when nesxt I’m home. Would you meet me? I doubt it. Like Kojo you are big behind a screen. But I would love to meet you, I’ll even buy the drinks.

     

     

    Why do you hate the Scots so much Ernie?

  10. kitalba says:

     

    3 December, 2011 at 14:57

     

    You are a piece of Shite Kojo and it is my wish that we meet one day in person. You will regret that day if it ever comes to pass.

     

     

    I LOOK FORWARD TO IT.

     

     

    …………………………………

     

     

    No like you Kit.

  11. Kitalba

     

     

    Chill out old stocking. If your having a bad day(which we all do)

     

     

    Switch off PC,go a walk,watch the telly,have a dram..

     

     

    brimmer

  12. Hey, Diz naebuddy care…

     

    aboot the Celtic ,anymair..oan here.

     

     

    Let’s Start over…

     

     

    Ah surrender,dear!

  13. kitalba says:

     

    3 December, 2011 at 15:08

     

    ‘ernie lynch:

     

     

    you want to meet me? I’ll give you lot’s of notice as to when nesxt I’m home. Would you meet me?’

     

     

     

    No problem. Our bus normally gets in about an hour and a half before kick off. Let me know when you’re next over.

  14. My dear,dear,dear,friend.. Lennon N Mac

     

     

    Pal. thanks fur the info

     

     

    Keep us informed ..

     

     

    Mebbe, the G.A. wull slip up, again

     

     

    Kojo

     

    yer pal..who likes ye aloater

  15. THE EXILED TIM

     

     

    Yes it is. The guy is vermin.

     

     

    my email address is kitalba@gmail.com if they want to take it off line then they can send me an e-mail. It really is that simple. I would love it if they included a phone number but if they are too scared to do that then I am more than happy to extend mine to them.

     

     

    I hope they send me an e-mail.

  16. Over...and...Over on

    Kojo

     

     

    No problem I thought you had picked it up wrong.

     

     

    Forgot about already :)

     

     

    hail hail

  17. TET,

     

     

    yeah but I can’t remember you using bad language or being insulting. Good drunk is ok :-)

  18. thebhoydaveJAPAN on

    Aye Kojo we care…

     

    But… sometimes your “meta-physical’ patter isnae engaging.

     

     

    Kapeeesh?

     

     

    But sometimes it is.

     

     

    Kapeesh?

     

     

    Take the rough with the smooth & learn to shut up sometimes.

     

     

    Love from tomorrow

     

     

    tbdJ

  19. My dear,dear,dear,friend..Over and Over.

     

     

    Heck.. Ah mak Mistakes oan here…all the Time.

     

     

    And Ma Biggest wan..that Ah hiv made..the Day.

     

     

    Wiz..

     

     

    Signin’ In!!

     

     

    Kojo

     

    yer pal, who likes ye aloater.

  20. I’ve met a few guys from here and to a man all top blokes.

     

     

    But like the majority we are all faceless names.

     

     

    We know next to nothing about our personal or private lives,

     

    we don’t know who’s fat,thin,rich or poor.

     

     

    And why should we.

     

     

    We have one major thing in common,and for people who don’t know each

     

    other,to have something in common that we all care about makes us family.

     

     

    What do family’s do?

     

    Fight

     

    Argue

     

    Fall out

     

     

    But ultimately, STICK TOGETHER.

     

     

    Get’s on my goat how adults can fall out whilst behind a keyboard.

     

     

    Keyboard Warriors,Keyboard Hardmen etc

     

     

    Have no place on the best Celtic forum, bar none.

     

     

    Grow up

     

     

    Life is wayyyyyyy too short people.

     

     

    brimmer

  21. few guys on here asking about young Rory Donnelly the Cliftonville striker during the week and wondering if he is any good and wether he will make it in full time football

     

     

    young Rory has just scored a hat trick in 18 minutes today

     

     

     

    the guy has potential

  22. TheBhoyDavefaeJapan

     

     

    Hey..noo that Ah hiv goat yer attenshun

     

     

    How are things going, at the Celtic Tokyo Supporters

     

    Club.. noo that Naka Has left us..?

     

     

    Is that Club still Enthusiastic and Vibrant,Celtic Fans.. as it wiz,when Naka wiz with Us at Parkheid oan the Clyde.?

     

     

    Ah am Pre Supposing that ye ur a Member of

     

    the Tokyo C.S.C.

     

     

    Kojo

     

    yer pal.. .who likes ye aloater

  23. Serge (10) Tommy Burns on

    Delighted Scott Brown has signed a new contract

     

     

    Why….because he is a good player, It gives him a lift, It gives the whole Club a lift at a time when the other mob hit one crisis after another.

     

     

    I would not be suprised if Scott Brown is the best man on the Park tomorrow. Go get em Broony!

     

     

    “Let’s all do the Broonie….Let’s all do the Broonie nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah”

     

     

    Also…..Gordon Strachan, Sat at many a game & didn’t think the football was the best but at the end of the day it was nice going into the pub celebrating a win, celebrating a League triumph, celebrating beating a so called European big boy.

     

     

    Gordon Strachan – Celtic Legend.

     

     

    Hail Hail & Goodnight

  24. Over...and...Over on

    Kojo,

     

     

    We all make mistakes, for sure. Howwweeevvvaaahhh my philosophy on this is, apologize if you have offended anyone and move on, for at the end of the day if we all took an eye for an eye we would all end up blind.

     

     

    hail hail

  25. RFC had created the sum total of zero prior to the goal ! Couple o corners or whatever but all easily defended.

     

    Ah well.