Charles Green, owner of “The Rangers Football Club Limited“, formed in May this year, yesterday released a remarkable statement yesterday, ahead of the SPL Commission into How Rangers FC, formed in 1872, registered football players for over a decade.
“In short, what was decided by the SPL membership is that Rangers was finished as a member of the SPL. Despite this, the SPL now see the new owners of the company, and the new company itself, which owns all the assets of Rangers FC – including SPL championship titles – as fair game for punishment for matters that have nothing to do with us at all.”
We dealt with the purchasing of history on here some months ago. Once we realised it was possible, I snapped up ancient Egyptian history, the period from the pharaohs until Mark Antony. I AM responsible for the Pyramids of Giza but any slavery which may or may not have been used in their construction is NOTHING to do with me.
No one complained about the use of slaves at the time and I am sure each pyramid would have been constructed whether slaves were used of not. If slaves were so necessary for the construction I am sure “we” would have built many more.
Mr Green seems keen to protest against the SPL process, however, he, frankly, fails miserably. He doesn’t “question the impartiality of the individual panel members” but assets “whatever decision they reach is a decision of the SPL”.
So that will be independent members reaching a decision for the SPL! I think he doth protest too little.
There is also a threat: “”To make it crystal clear, the new owners purchased all the business and assets of Rangers, including titles and trophies. Any attempt to undermine or diminish the value of those assets will be met with the stiffest resistance, including legal recourse.”
Charles Green took steps to undermine his new company’s claim on Rangers titles in a BBC interview in June when he said that if his CVA proposal was to fail (which it did) and Rangers were to be liquidated (which they are), “the history, the tradition, everything that’s great about this club is swept aside”.
“Legal recourse”, which is prohibited by Fifa and which the SFA accommodated from Duff and Phelps, acting on behalf of Rangers, will provide Scottish football with a further drama. We mentioned at the time that the true cost of the SFA being so accommodating would be a repeat performance.
Mr Green asks why the “football authorities do nothing to address an issue that was public knowledge for at least two years, and was reported in the Club’s accounts for several years”? I think I can help here. Sir David Murray, who owned Rangers during the duration of its Employee Benefit Trust years, categorically denied that the club issued players with second contracts which were not submitted to the authorities. He reiterated this point most recently on a Sky News interview in March.
The football authorities have no issues whatsoever with Employee Benefit Trusts, it’s player contracts they insist are registered. Rangers insisted they had no case to answer until the SPL set a deadline on Duff and Phelps to fully disclose the nature of the alleged second contracts.
Charles claims during those lurid weeks when the SPL and SFA were negotiating with Green, that Neil Doncaster “repeatedly stated he was not interested in stripping titles from Rangers”. If he had evidence of this, ANY evidence, it would be fascinating.
If not, we should dismiss this claim.
A curious barb is made in other directions, “Rangers was not the only Club in Scotland to use EBTs yet nothing was done and little has been heard about it”.
One more time, for Mr Green’s benefit, EBTs are not against football regulations whatsoever. They are entirely legal and permitted by the SFA and SPL. The SPL Commission is not investigating whether Rangers used EBTs or not, it will investigate whether or not all player contracts were registered.
Mr Green goes on to make varied comments against “powerful representatives from Clubs within the SPL…. who appear hell bent on inflicting as much damage on Rangers as possible”, and that some “clubs were placed in an invidious position and we believe their interests were not best served by those in more powerful positions”.
Let’s have some context here. If we were to make a list of those who inflicted most damage on Rangers, representatives from other clubs would scarcely merit a mention. Those who allowed the club to spend more than it earned for so many years, who introduced the perilous tax avoidance system, those who failed to make accommodations for HMRC’s claim when it was first made, and those directors who personally benefited from the EBT scheme all carry primary responsibility.
Then would come the cheerleaders for the disastrous Craig Whyte regime – those who last year campaigned for the takeover, including putting pressure on Lloyds Banking Group to accept the terms.
Rangers opponents were spectators throughout this period. Any suggestion that our club were anything but opponents to Rangers, and alleged victims of trophies won by illegally registered players, when they should have been campaigning on behalf of their rivals, seriously misreads what was an established Glasgow rivalry. Of course it would be the same the other way – and rightly so.
Despite clearly feeling strongly about the Commission, Green didn’t address the key point….
There was no denial of the central charge that for a decade or more Rangers fielded improperly registered football players.
Yesterday some people suggested Green had offered the Lance Armstrong defence but Armstrong denied he was guilty while refusing to participate in the investigation into doping. This is a different matter altogether. Green has offered up something for every conceivable paranoid condition without actually claiming Rangers are wrongly accused.
The headlines today are all about titles being stripped but that is not the main topic in play. More importantly, after titles are stripped, what punishment will the SPL Commission levy on the Rangers membership, granted to Sevco in June?
The sheer scale of the charge makes this question incalculable. The toxicity attached to that membership is untenable and no bogeymen at other clubs, at the SPL or SFA are responsible for that.
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Luxembourg equalise against NI
Is the heid playing as a striker ???
Repost:
Firstly as a bit of housekeeping, I would like to thank BJ Mac on all of our behalf for being the founding member of what has become the CQN Golf Society. Many a great afternoon has been had in the rough and just as many an afternoon has been spoiled by the Golf
For those of you in the know, I have been told, I mean gladly accepted, the role of Club Captain for a year or until I am overthrown, whichever comes first….
As with standard practice of playing during the international weekend Match day 4 has us playing on Sunday the 14th October.
If anyone who has not as yet received their invite and would like to join the society for this or other dates please email me at cqngolfclub@gmail.com
Hail Hail
Ryan O’D
Gary Caldwell is the Socrates of Scotland
oh and what did walter teach them ….. he taught them that they were above the law and any set of rules, that how other people behaved was not relevant as they could do as they pleased – does it show?
Heid is a good honest pro but he looks like what he is tonight – a centre half playing in midfield.
Naismith – yuk!
Dilemma.
Scotland win.Levein stays.
Scotland don`t win.Levein goes.Perhaps wee Gordon becomes the messiah.
The young boy Forrest has been rubbish tonight. Probably drop him from the squad for the next game.
Wee james has come onto a good game. Playing well now that he’s seeing more of the ball.
Portugal finally score against Berti’s Azerbaijan.
Algarvian
I’m watching the Scotland game
Berti Vogts
21:40 on
11 September, 2012
Algarvian
I’m watching the Scotland game
Well start watching your own game!
:)))
I think most scotland fans would be lying on a psychologists coach getting treatment if it wasn’t for the performance of the scotland goalkeeper tonight.
In recognition of this, I think the keeper should get a new nickname, how about
Alan “Therapist” McGregor.
Penalty.Poms.
Algarvian
Canny get the game here in Lagos
Berti Vogts,
I wish I was watching your team.
Goal.Poms.
1-1
5 mins plus stoppage time for Scotland to grab a winner. Probably one big chance still to come in the game – would love wee James to get it and take it
Lampard (pen) equalises for England
Boos ringing out again. We look clueless, sad to say.
Gerrard.Off.
Second yellow.
Gerrard eventually sent off for consistent thuggery
If it wasn’t for Celtic i wouldn’t even bother watching football anymore .
Levein has to go whether we win or not.
Taxi warming up for Craig I think.
James Forrest down after a daft pass from Hutton.
There surely must be a better Scottish RB than Hutton. Haqil Hail Hebcelt
We can’t string 2 passes together. Dreadful stuff.
Its amazing what you can do to a relatively decent group of footballers when you put a total f#@kwit in charge of them.
Little football played but most of it by Macedonia.
Another Pish performance from Craig Latrine and Scotland
Two average sides Scotland have played but both Serbia and Macedonia’s players technically better.
The quality of players in Britain and Ireland really is depressing. All huff and puff and lacking the basics in many instances.
Well Levein is out of a job tomorrow with that one.
Hopeless.
No guile and no flair until he is desperate
Scotland could have won that tonight with a more positive start – but we had anti-football mark 7million in charge.
Stevo, he’s a hun from Gourock, he played for us never one of us.
Bma
Sixteen roads to Golgotha @2147
‘If it wasn’t for Celtic i wouldn’t even bother watching football anymore .’
I came to the same conclusion a few years ago myself!
SPF
Rhodes didn`t do much for an £8m striker …
no doubt a decent player with potential …however i think i`d be wanting a bit more for £8m
the values attacted to players in the English leagues are madness
meanwhile
McGregor saves Scotland from a doing …..
I would wager not many would have thought none of the brit teams wouldn’t win tonight.