Trending
Celtic News Now
Celtic Quick News on News Now
Celtic Quick News
You are at:»»Football, law breaking, organised crime and plain old bias

Football, law breaking, organised crime and plain old bias

438
By on CQN BLOG & Comments

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.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

438 Comments
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. ...
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12

  3. Melbourne Mick on

    Luv the Sunday morning madness.

     

    Think I’ll put my nailed on studded boots and

     

    go efter Putin.

     

    Only kiddin, am off furra pint.

     

    H H. Mick

  5. ‘GG on

    Anyone have a view on how Calum played today?

     

    I notice the BBC report has him last in the Player of the Match reviews.

  7. Burnley78 on

    Turkeybhoy

     

     

    Quite a poor rant there. Even by your own standards.

     

     

    Canamalar

     

     

    Are you suggesting that the jabs were properly researched and tested and proven to be both effective and not damaging ?

  9. GFTB on

    GG 11.35pm

     

     

    I think Callum was interviewed as “man of the match” but what I saw Callum done what Callum does .. protects the defence always available, then going forward also always available … the ultimate team player

     

     

    Callum is getting better n better, season upon season., playing well for Scotland will just give our captain more confidence for us …

  10. Drambowiecelt on

    Warning….non fitba…..Just finished the series ..Daisy Jones..and the Six..

     

    Fantastic from ep 1 right thru….to ep10…….

     

    the lead ghirl is amazing……….and without spoiling….

     

    Her granda is ?????well check it out

  11. Drambowiecelt on

    @Big j..reading back….top picking on yer lines mate….

     

    keep hammering the cream cookies….

     

    M.M down under….everytime i think of you doin the park…for the youngsters..

     

    I walk the line … lol…j cash

     

     

     

     

    H.H

  13. petec on

    Burnley78 on 25th March 2023 11:42 pm

     

     

    7 more sleeps !

     

     

    …………………………………………

     

     

    It cannae come quick enough.

     

     

    I dinnae sleep the Mae West.

     

     

    Theres a big few weeks upcoming.

     

     

    And they will bring different tests to Celtic,that urnae visible but Crucial.

     

     

    It was an Awesome header but MOTM?

     

     

    NJOI

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rzi17i4zes

  16. Drambowiecelt on

    @PETEC…….your on spot on …OOR Oh…..will come good big time….

     

    Hope you and your bhoy have the wow moment….specially against the huns…

     

     

     

     

     

     

    H.H

  19. An Tearmann on

    Hi Celts

     

    Had the privelege to be invited to jim and Ruths wedding. A great day and night and better company you couldnt ask for. A great day :-)

     

     

    All the best Jim and Ruth

     

     

    Care always and the very best good health and wishes

     

     

    HH

  21. Drambowiecelt on

    BTW…if anyone wonderin…..why so long to respond to posts??????

     

    Example ..Canman….burnley…. sftb……ernie??????

     

    great how the blog has thrived………Depending on your home situation ..

     

    #Raising kids etc….catchin up is hard…….

  23. Drambowiecelt on

    Gerry…You know how it works…..God love you and yer wee one

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    H.H

  26. GFTB on

    DrambowieCelt 2.21am

     

     

    Cheers .. slowly but surely she is becoming such a Tic fanatic (considering her mum & two big sisters are all Huns) she is Celtic daft .. a slow burn .. but I think I have played the long game well 🍀

  27. Drambowiecelt on

    At Gerry….My grandson showed me a vid of a beautiful ghirl..

     

    Giving it big licks of Jota on the wing… on acoustic ???

     

    I know big j was wonderin what the words where??? a few months ago????

     

     

     

     

     

    H.H

  31. Drambowiecelt on

    @Gerry….every day is battle for me and the wee one….each vid in the fone her dads got hoops on2017..

     

    and now 2023 she is my sons daughter….embracing everyone

     

     

    n

  32. GFTB on

    DrambowieCelt 2.52am

     

     

    I sincerely hope am not posting out of turn .. but your bhoys song that has been posted on these pages is quite inspirational … and if you don’t mind me saying you talking about it is both humbling and pretty special … the wee yin is obviously now your focus

     

     

    Mate your story is both special and heart warming even through the sadness 🍀

     

     

    Hail Hail …

  33. petec on

    Drambowiecelt on 26th March 2023 2:37 am

     

     

    At Gerry….My grandson showed me a vid of a beautiful ghirl..

     

     

     

    Giving it big licks of Jota on the wing… on acoustic ???

     

     

     

    I know big j was wonderin what the words where??? a few months ago????

     

     

     

     

    H.H

     

     

     

    ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

     

     

    It’s not Easy

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTTTuV_yI0o

  34. GFTB on

    Petec 2.43am

     

     

    Good stuff you had a good day mate .. av told that bampot BRRB Saturdays are not the best … by the way that rascal will soon be curtailed when Mrs BRRB no longer has to do her 12hr shifts … that bhoys wings will be clipped sooner rather than later … I wish MrsBRRB the longest and happiest retirement in the coming days :-)

     

     

    She does deserve it … thoroughly

  35. petec on

    I’m Ending this.

     

     

    Please Release………

     

     

     

    How good was Englebert? let me Goa?

     

     

    That TonyYeboah. Goal.

     

     

    An Oustanding strike – Naka style. :)

     

     

    Gerry Sometimes…Maybe All of the Times..

     

     

    I am indeed Rudimentary.

     

     

    Celtic

     

     

    Celtic

  37. GFTB on

    Petec 3.17am

     

     

    MissGFTB raging that Celtic don’t play until April (7 days) but she likes to exaggerate… am just delighted she’s missing the Hoops …

     

     

    As I get older I want Scotland to do well and 100% behind Callum & co … but it’s a different sport from Celtic …

     

     

    Ange is probably what we needed … although I will always love Ne Lennon that love will never diminish.. by the way o now love Ange as well :-)

  38. petec on

    I went oot wae the maddest attire.

     

     

    Green Top, Maroon bottoms and a blackJaicket with white training shoes.

     

     

    I was only out for 4 hours…………………

     

     

    Thankfully I have made it hame

  41. GFTB on

    Petec

     

     

    I will leave you in peace …

     

     

    Battery gone 🍀🍀🍀

     

     

    Roll on Ross County … I think Steve Clarke is trying to do an Ange … make the subs count 🍀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. ...
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12