There has been a pattern for me in recent days. I’ve read a statement by a current/former football club director, then I’ve gone looking for corroboration, just in case the report is a sabotaged attempt to make the author appear foolish.
A statement was released by former Rangers chairman, Alastair Johnston yesterday, discussing the current SPL Commission looking into how his board administered football player contracts. I agree with him that any “capital punishment decision” should not be left to the SPL, but the SPL have no authority to impose capital punishment on a football club. The decision to terminate a football club can only be taken by the SFA (I am discounting the reckless behaviour of directors), and is perhaps a reason the SFA decided to delegate this inquiry to the league. It is interesting timing for Johnston to put this on the table.
Johnston’s main thrust is in connection with the SPL Commission, saying “the SFA wrote to us asking for more details about the public speculation concerning our financial and tax situation. The latter obviously referenced the impact of the EBT schemes as creating a potential taxation liability.
“The club responded accordingly and provided details, as it had done in previous years, by declaring player salaries, bonuses, benefits, etc., but also payments made to a Remuneration Trust. The SFA compliance officers must have known, both from the description and context of the reports, that such expenditures had some connection to player compensation.
“However, without any further investigation at the time, Rangers FC received its SFA license to compete in the 2011/2012 season. Rangers, therefore, were entitled to believe that they were not in breach of any SFA regulation requiring reporting of player compensation.”
Mr Johnston clearly implies that the SFA were in receipt of sufficient information to ascertain if Rangers correctly registered players (and considering the SFA president was on the board which sanctioned these decision was have to wonder), but the key point is missing from his testimony.
While disclosing this information to the SFA did Rangers reveal the existence of the alleged second contracts? For the purposes of the SPL Commission, it doesn’t really matter how much players were paid, or if they received this money through a Remuneration Trust, what matters is: were contracts submitted and players correctly registered? If not, then it doesn’t matter what else the club submitted to the SFA.
Sir David Murray, then Rangers owner, vehemently denied the existence of second contracts as recently as March this year, so it would appear unlikely that Rangers revealed these allegedly non-existent contracts at an earlier date.
Labouring this point slightly Johnston said: If the SFA now decide to adopt a more focused evaluation of the data they request from its members in order to be granted a license, they should ensure that the legislation upon which they rely for enforcement and the corresponding sanctions are more transparent and predictable.”
For clarity, the information the SFA requires in order to grant a club licence is not being changed in any way. The SFA and the SPL do, however, require clubs submit player contracts as part of the player registration process. It is not the club licence which is in doubt here, it is the registration of players, Mr Johnston, we have to wonder why you are trying to focus away from this matter.
Our own club was brought into the issue: “A lawyer representing Celtic recently was successful in having charges against that club dropped because of the inadequacy of the SFA’s prescribed rules, regulations, and sanctions. The same principle should apply here.”
Perhaps time is playing tricks on Mr Johnston’s memory. Paul McBride ensured a punishment imposed on Neil Lennon (not Celtic) was enforced in line with SFA rules. Johnston also meanders on the subjects of match fixing and financial doping, distancing his former club from both, but neither charge is of any consequence.
Despite his extensive diatribe on the subject, at no point does the former Rangers chairman deny the central allegation – that for over a decade Rangers gave dozens of players second contracts which were not registered with the SPL or SFA. Like Charles Green the previous day, he never suggested Rangers have been wrongly accused, he just complains about the club being accused.
There is a degree in Cognitive Bias in this matter if anyone is looking for material.
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Tallybhoy
07:53 on 13 September, 2012
Morning all!
Well done to Tony Watt on winning the SPL Young Player of the month award for August.
HH!!
___________________________________________________________
Hear, hear m8.
Young Tony reminds me of Norman Whiteside(Man Utd)
KevJungle…..
Agree!
Tallybhoy
He would just launch another title which would be the same as the old one.
I don’t buy anything he produces.
KevJungle…
I hear Norman Whiteside liked a wee swally! Think him and Paul McGrath were drinking buddies! Shortly after Ferguson arrived they were both out the door.
Hope young Tony’s not like that – I’m sure he isn’t!
HH!!
When the Scottish S#n’s top sports writer(lol) insinuated that
Celtic fans had coughed their way through the mins-silence for
ibrokes disaster on the day that, Sammi scored his famous double
that was the cue for Celtic’s hierarchy to ban the S#n !!! imo.
Who stands up for the Celtic fans apart from the Internet Bampots ?
Kelvin Mackenzie is the lowest of the low,I hope he rots in hell!!!
HH
Thought I`d seen eveything,however…Uruguay v Ecuador W.C.qualifier.
81 mins.Free kick just outside the box for Uruguay.
To ensure the defending wall does not advance,the ref. spray paints a line on the turf in front of them.
1-1 Final score.
Any Celtic fan who buys the Sun should feel ashamed of themselves?
HH
Tallybhoy
08:12 on 13 September, 2012
__________________________________
I see were yer coming from but, i was talking purely about playing ability.
Btw, Paul McGrath ?
I remember Liam Brady had a choice of three CH’s to sign for Celtic.
Gary Gillespie – Liverpool
Paul McGrath – A. Vill(I think)
Steve Bould – Arsenal
It’s a no brainer – CSC
hoopy.
re.the weather .
no sun or the s*n in E.K.
A. Vill = A. Villa
Typo
Sorry
Catriona is a hun, met her in Moskito after game last season, she goes often enough and union jack get up this morning says it all!
Away to read back the blog.
May God Bless the supporters of
Celtic FC and Liverpool FC
The Establishment plots will
NEVER defeat OUR Clubs.
YNWA
laters….
Any retractions or establishment line articles in the Herald yet , in response to Roger Mitchell’s article the other day .
macjay1 for Neil Lennon 08:14 on 13 September, 2012
. . . . To ensure the defending wall does not advance,the ref. spray paints a line on the turf in front of them.
1-1 Final score.
Seen that before, I am sure it was trialed during some televised game, think it came from the US. The ref sprays a wee dot where the ball is to be placed, then as you say, a line for teh defensive wall. The “paint” doesn’t last very long, apparently – think it dries then flakes off the grass.
Yet another good idea that UEFA and the SFA will ignore for as long as they possibly can!
Cyrul
Spray paint the 10 yard line is an USA trial.
Can Catrioana just no’ be a wee lassie on the telly?
Good morning CQNers
EC67
Whither the cash strapped scrofulous hillbillies the day?
just want to cry folks.
when you read about the lies that started from the top on that fateful day and how the families of the 96 have had to live with that for so long,it hardens and saddens the heart.
how many of us thought yesterday
there but for the grace of god go I
reading back on here last night brought back some horrid memories for me personally .
went to the forrest game with my dad.
we drove down and got to the ground early enough
even then it was a crush just getting in.
we got into the first pen and where right up against
a six foot metal rail. for some reason i felt uneasy here so i talked my da into climbing the rail into the next pen.and continued this way until we got behind the goals .
that turned out to be one of my best ever moves i think.
janefield st and the mounties was another scare.
found myself beside to cops halfway down the street when they charged through the fans.
i ask the cop beside me what that was all about .
and he said there were officers being attacked at the far end of the street. So when they charged back again i ask the same question. and was told to G.T.F.or i would get a night in the cells.
God bless the 96 and there families.
the truth is out now.
dont give up the fight.
now go for Justice .
Y.N.W.A.
Good morning friends from a dry but grey and blustery East Kilbride.
Message for TheBarcaMole; just to let you know that I’m in ok. Cheers.
Cheers
Hail Hail
JB
Wee Catriona’s wardrobe often provides a challenging start to the day.
So Uefa hand out money due to the CLUBS
Ole Jobo- I believe the funeral was yesterday; I hope you were able to take some comfort from it.
Once again ole Dick Byrne and the Embrocation have been overlooked for the Mercury Music Prize.
The sclerotic arch-conservatives who run music in this country fail to see the magic in ‘Ode to Billy Joel’ -sample lyric-
don’t go changin’ you talentless twat
lend us a tenner
tiocfaidh ar la
A lesser man would have given up years ago, but ole Dick doesn’t do rockin’ away.
So Uefa hand out money due to the CLUBS that provided players for their competitions
and the give it to Ragers (IA) and not 2012 fc ,why would that be ?
We were led to believe that the SFA/SPL prize money won by Ragers (IA) was given to 2012 fc but used to pay 2012 fcs Scottish football debts as part of the condition of membership .
Was it 2012 fc money to have ,(I always thought not) or was it Ragers (IA) money and therefore used to pay off Ragers(IA) Scottish football debts, if so why lead us all to believe that 2012 fc were entitled to this money but were denied it as a condition of membership .
IMO this disgraceful 5 way agreement should be made public .
DBBIA –
Thanks. Yes, things ran smoothly and went as well as these things can go. You’ve had your own recent experience of this of course and so I hope that you too will be OK. A fair bit of running about still to do today so must get on…
Kitalba
I find those stories horrifying. I have read a little into their beliefs and stuff. Did you know that the Indians called the arrival of the white man the First World War?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7cylfQtkDg
curly
08:40 on
13 September, 2012
My jaundiced view is that video review is discouraged by F.I.F.A.because it would make it more difficult for F.I.F.A.to achieve the preferred result.
Now,world cup viewing figures.
France or Ireland?
Viz. Thierry Henri double handball.
Jack Straw opens can of worms this morning, with his comments that the Thatcher administration allowed SYP to act with impunity at Hillsborough- as the government owed the force a big debt after its partisan policing of the miners’ strike only five years beforehand.
This is a long-held belief on Merseyside, but seldom publicly aired. Dark, dark days…
Will the question of secret societies involvement in the hilsborough conspiracy be raised, or will it be kept out of the equation by members of secret societies still in place.
If you’ve not already read it, may I thoroughly recommend to you Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan’s post of last night at 22:43.
Vintage BRTH!
FF
macjay..,
exactly why dallas is in place, his gift of fixing matches through altering the tempo and changing the run of play whilst looking incompetent rather than cheating to people who did not know his MO.
hey folks if you can offer up a wee prayer for my father-inlaw.
after a long battle he is off to meet his maker.
funeral is today.
really feel it for the wee man today.
his papa was his best friend.
Wee breakfast chat earlier re —— The Innocence of Muslims
Me , a Libyan Sunni and a Moroccan Sufi .
Their view [ based on a watch of the 15 minute trailer ]— I paraphrase —–
An ignorant hate filled wind up—-produced by fundamentalist loonies with the aim of producing an ignorant hate filled reaction from other fundamentalist loonies.
will chuckie green take the 272 thousand that is due to the oldco.well he said that he is running newco and what happened at the old club,is nowt to do with him, ok then you dont want the cash that is due,to Rangers Football Club.
50 Shades
Wee prayer?
No problem.
Pater noster qui es in coelis…..
God Bless you, and yours.
The wee man is in good hands.
SoT,
agreed 100%, and it suits the loonies on both sides
A bit of negativity towards Catriona Shearer on here this morning. Just leave her alone, right.