They were an icon against fascism, a club representative of a people, more than any national identity could ever be. We saw commonalities between Barcelona and our own heritage. While we did what we could to earn a seat at the top table, they packed out the biggest club stadium in Europe and were invariably second, third, or sometimes first in the football money league.
Catalan prosecutors have revealed that over a 17 year period, Barcelona paid €8.4m to the former vice-president of the Spanish refereeing committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, and his company. The payments are not disputed, the former referee VP, claims the club employed him to ensure fairness.
He said, “I saw [Barcelona presidents] at most six times a year so they were calm that there were no decisions against FC Barcelona in the arbitration committee, that everything was neutral.” The club claim they paid the money for Negreira to compile video reports to compliment information required by coaching staff.
Former Barcelona presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, face corruption charges, the former recently spent two years in prison on separate charges before being acquitted on appeal. The club’s current president, Joan Laporta, has not been indicted, although the story has a long way to run.
Compared to what happened in Scotland – disguised renumeration and undisclosed contracts to dodge taxes and gain a sporting advantage, paying millions to a referee chief – even if you accept either parties’ version of events, is on a different level. Perhaps only Juventus can compete with what for so many of us was an iconic bastion of goodness in the game.
Although corruption exists in football, it is rare to see payments directly between parties who should never have such commercial dealings. More commonly, this type of payment would go through a third party. The industry is a heady environment for ambitious lawyers, who make up a sizeable portion of the players’ agent industry. They commonly invoice significant fees to club and can easily pay equally significant fees out for other professional services.
You may know it goes on, but even if you had all the paperwork, proving what happened was something sinister can be impossible. Which is why this is so shoddy, lazy, even. It is time for us to stop pretending modern sport is some bastion of 19th century ethical endeavours and accept that law breaking, organised crime and plain old bias cannot reach our fields. To believe otherwise does our athletes and the paying customer a disservice.
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Football, law breaking, organised crime and plain old bias
Criminal Inc fc.
HH
Anonymous angry change of moniker,icu.
You really should watch that ruminant thinking,yours on me elsewhere is detatched,invented thinking,i know we wont meet,you enjoy typin at folk,i suppose its of the digital age the concept of being “typed at”
You opted me into your head.Opt me out.
HH
https://twitter.com/tirnaog_09/status/1639889258583302144?t=jQ_qSFmbHGAuVAZSleS3Dg&s=19
6 of best
HH
Oh The Bluebells are Green
https://youtu.be/LWh0ToPq_lM
HH
How long before the chip wrappers link Ange with Spurs?
Good morning from a crisp -2 in the Garngad.
MM – I agree we shoukd be holding certain players back from international duty at tge business end of the season.
Especialy players that have been injured for us but Int boss calls them up anyway with a hope of getting them into the team.
We pay the players wages so we should decide whether a player is fit to travel and play.
I know all the rules and players want to go and you could have an unhapoy player etc.. before someone jumps in.
Surely we tell them all this on signing then again players hold all the aces these days.
🤬🤬🤬
D :)
Good morning all from Govanhill. Another week of thrills and spills begins.
BIGRAILROADBLUES on 27TH MARCH 2023 6:42 AM
Good morning all from Govanhill. Another week of thrills and spills begins.
…………….
Have a look at the the Racing in WOLVERHAMPTON Tonight. Wee ” BILLY”, has FOUR Horses running. I reckon that he has a good chance of at least TWO Winners…if not more ? i have backed all four in Singles, doubles and Trebles etc….for a modest Stake.
Sorry that I couldnt make it to the BRAZEN on Saturday, but as I advised…I was unwell all week so Ive had to stay at home since the last day of Cheltenham.
Yesterday ( SUNDAY) was the WORSE ….Yet,….. So I was glad that I didnt go out Drinking on Saturday.
SCANIEL and myself have been exchanging Emails the last few Days. Sadly, he has lost TWO of his favourite animals in recent days due to being ill, and having them ” Put Down”.
Once I feel better, we MUST take a trip down to meet SCANIEL and the other animals etc real soon ?
HH mate.
Big Jimmy
👍
DAVID66 on 27TH MARCH 2023 6:40 AM
………..
I agree Mate. From a SELFISH Point of View, I HATE to see the Celtic Players heading off to play internationals, because of the travelling and possible injury etc ?
IF any Celtic Player gets injured on International duty, then Celtic SHOULD DEMAND that those Players are sent back home to Celtic Park/ Lennoxtown immediately ?
Big JOCK had the RIGHT idea….PAY the Players NOT to go on International duty.
HH Mate.
I hope that you all had a GREAT Day oot for Rileys Birthday.
test
Just a quick follow up – if I may – to my post of 11:19pm last night.
https://youtu.be/K5Apb7aOk9A
The 1953 Coronation Cup is a key part of our folklore….
… but am happy to concede I was blissfully unaware of this song
(which informs the title of the book).
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 27TH MARCH 2023 10:14 AM
…………….
Terrific Mate.
LOL
HH
HOT SMOKED on 26TH MARCH 2023 10:26 PM
As one not very interested in Internationals, I didn`s see Scotland`s victory over Cyprus but I did notice, in the BBC ratings, that Calmac was considered one of the worst players in the Scotland team. Did he have a very poor game ( hard to believe) or is there an anti-Celtic feeling among the Tartan Army ?
———————-
I only saw the highlights but the midfield was not well balanced until the subs. They had McGregor at anchor and Jack in an attacking role – madness.
A quiet game for McGregor as Armstrong and McGinn (and the wrongly positioned Jack) were on the front foot. I did notice McGregor getting swamped/passed round a couple of times but Armstrong and Robertson were well advanced at that point.
All clicked when Jack went off for McTominay
I think McGregor and Jack have played well together in the past but I think a swap of who goes forward would have been great.
PS a wee bit of club training appeared for Jack in the first half when he tried to buy a free kick and feigned injury; play on and he had to sheepishly get up and play on!
PPS love seeing Armstrong in full flow and Christie doing well when he came on.
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 27TH MARCH 2023 10:14 AM
Just a quick follow up – if I may – to my post of 11:19pm last night.
https://youtu.be/K5Apb7aOk9A
The 1953 Coronation Cup is a key part of our folklore….
… but am happy to concede I was blissfully unaware of this song
*********
First heard it on a train full of Celtic supporters on the way to Tynecastle. Think it was just after Willie Wallace signed for us and was his first game back there. Thought it was brilliant, but of course no interweb thingy back then so couldn’t figure out the lyrics until some genius posted them on here several years ago.
Still amuses me highly.
Thanks for sharing
Ange to spurs.
Ange back up the road.
Not for me mate
Scaniel / BJ – cheers.
Saint Stivs – Lol.
Nagelsmann (thanks Bayern) and Pochettino are front runners apparently.
Just checked this from Swiss Ramble.
https://swissramble.substack.com/p/tottenham-hotspur-finances-202122
Net debt 141% of turnover.
Would make Zimbabwean Finance Minister blush.
Celtic helping us get through the international break
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45baVckQD-4
new article posted.