Amid the acres of confusion that surrounds Rangers and the Scottish game at the moment, one matter is now clear of the tax authorities, not subject to dispute by the various parties squabbling over Rangers, and free for the SFA to examine. If they are interested.
Former Rangers director, Mike McGill, when speaking to the media alongside Sir David Murray on Tuesday, said, “The club used an old offshore EBT scheme in 1999 with three players. That scheme is the subject of the small tax case.
“The Revenue provided some information to us in early 2011 and we conceded based on that information and provided for payment in the club accounts.”
The simple question for the SFA is, were details of payments made through the old offshore EBT scheme, which HMRC challenged last year and Rangers’ old board conceded, submitted to the SFA?
If they were, our faith in the governance of the game can be restored and we can all look forward to the Cup Final on Sunday. If not, whose registrations were invalid and which games did they participate in?
As this question affects more than just SPL football, the SFA are the only body competent to investigate this matter. They are also competent to administer any appeal process. We hear the SPL inquiry will not mature until after the HMRC-Rangers First Tier Tribunal reports, which could be well after the SPL split, potentially creating chaos if Rangers were incorrectly placed in the top six.
This is a governance issue of enormous proportions. The SFA should use McGill’s comments as an opportunity to take a fresh look at this issue and quickly instigate an inquiry.
I’m off the see the lawyers this morning. More later, I hope!
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Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo on 15 March, 2012 at 10:03 said:
Paul67
if you are seeing lawyers due to any writs you have received through CQN and need help. You have to promise to let us know ?????
Hail HAil
share
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2010 Never Again
Good call my friend.
I’m sure we will dig deep when it’s required and I have little doubt that day is coming soon.
When you are above the law,it is generally because you have made the law to suit yourself,and thus it is so in Scotland where The Orange Ordure seem to hold sway over every aspect of society,especially in the legal arena .
Many thanks to the likes of Paul67 and all the other vigilant bloggers who will not let this scandal sneak off into the night.
Like someone once said of the internet,”It’s wild in there.”
The Spirit of Arthur Lee on 15 March, 2012 at 10:12 said:
St Martin’s Bhoy
They are now the first team
:-) I forgot about that! Surely the bus fare thing still applies though?
They = They’re
Why will the SPL not release their findings until after FTT? It has no relevence. Will an exception be made for thems to be relegated after the split? IF found guilty. Caught a bit of Keevins last night on my way home from work. He is so arrogant. Totally dismissing that SPL enquiry should be independent, and why would he not believe SDM? errm well look at the past, this is the same SDM who sold his “club” down the river.
An oxymoron if ever I saw one – – SFA- Competent!!!!!!!!!
KINGLuBO
BlantyreKev @ 9:55
I Can’t Believe It’s A Law Firm.
Will this be SFA’s response?
http://i.imgur.com/d0uLv.jpg
Kit
I believe that even if they were RFC(ia), that the administrators cannot sell the club without the authorisation of the great bug eyed bawheid himself.
Hi Paul,
Wasn’t the principle amount in the wee tax case 2.5M? Now if we are talking only three players and it’s the tax on part of their salary that is more than one Season effected.
My Guess 1999-1998, 1998-1997, 1997-1996…….
Maybe only Two teams won 9iar.
Celtic & Celtic Reserves
ShanklyCSC
DUSHANBE BHILLY BHOY simply put no
paul mcconville http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/ said about a month ago that there was a problem with the registering of the admin docs and that they would have to be redone lol
Hi Paul,
I noticed that too… but what I am unclear on is whether the rules concerning registration of all player contracts existed in the SPL/SFA at that time. I thought those rules came into being in 2005?
B
Regan has now shown beyond all doubt that he is not the man to face these issues head on. He is now part of the problem – and a big part at that. To have the head of the SFA respond to a C4 journalist on twitter asking him who he spoke to on the phone is unprofessional to say the least. He knows who the journalist is, he can contact him by phone very easily, yet decides to reply to him in a very public forum. That, and all his other smarmy twitter replies makes him unfit for the position.
This from Rangers Tax Case. N.B. the date!
Campbell Ogilvie
14/04/2011 254 COMMENTS
63 Votes
Campbell Ogilvie is already a man of quite some distinction. However, his list of accomplishments might be about to become a bit longer. It appears that he has sat on the board of directors of not just one SPL club entangled in highly dubious tax schemes, but two. Heart of Midlothian FC look likely to be the next shoe to drop as football’s culture of thinking that it is above paying taxes starts to unwind.
Ogilvie, the current SFA Vice-President and heir apparent to George Peat’s job of President, is going to have quite the CV by the time he hangs up his pinstripes. Not only was he a director of Rangers FC when the EBT scheme was first introduced, but he was also the company secretary. This latter role gave him additional responsibility for ensuring statutory compliance for The Rangers Football Club plc. So while some Rangers directors, like John Greig, might have a claim that their position was symbolic, and they did not understand what was happening or what their responsibilities as a director are, it will be difficult for Mr. Ogilvie to do likewise. As a man with substantial experience and training, he will find it difficult to claim that he did not know or understand what was happening. (He may try anyway).
However, Ogilvie seems likely to find himself in the unique position of being at the center of yet another tax avoidance/evasion storm. On leaving Rangers in 2005, Ogilvie joined the board of Heart of Midlothian FC, and in 2008 became managing director of the Edinburgh club. A source has contacted me with the story that the Scottish Professional Footballers Association (SPFA) has made a complaint about employment practices at Hearts. This came to light when a Hearts player applied for a mortgage. When presenting his salary advice, it was clear that he was on a rate close to the UK minimum wage. The player naively explained that he had lots of money, but that it was all paid overseas. The SPFA would obviously have concerns that Scottish players will appear expensive in an era of 50% marginal tax rates compared to low-tax (or no-tax?) foreign players. This raises a few questions: How many players are involved? How long have such practices been in effect? Are there players who have not been registered for tax at all in the UK? The scale of the Hearts problem is not yet fully known. If this has been standard practice over an extended number of years, then the bills, interest, and penalties could also be of a magnitude that could put the existence of Hearts at risk unless Mr. Romanov decides to dig deep into his personal reserves.
Once could be just a mistake. Twice looks very careless.
Scottish football supporters, as well as SFA member clubs, have a right to know “what did Campbell Ogilvie know, and when did he know it?”
It appears that one of two situations must exist: either Campbell Ogilvie knew of, and approved of, two high-risk / illegal tax strategies or he has failed in his responsibilities as a company director at two major Scottish football clubs. Does Mr. Ogilvie have a casual disregard for the law or is he just an ignorant puppet dancing on the strings of charismatic impresarios? Either way, it would be a matter of major concern to all those with an interest in Scottish football if either is true. If there is another explanation for why he has had such a knack of being on the wrong boards at the wrong times, then Scottish football supporters need to be told.
Did Ogilvie bring dubious practices to Hearts from Rangers or was he an innocent bystander at both clubs?
Did Rangers register all of their overseas players for UK tax?
In light of his unique experience with two of the three largest football clubs in Scotland sliding to the edge of darkness, perhaps Celtic supporters should not be so concerned about Ogilvie inheriting the job of SFA President. Given recent statements about the need to ‘pull down the walls’ and to rebuild the SFA from the ground up, who would be better qualified to at least bring about the first part?
Michael Kelly article from The Scotsman Today-Unbelievable!!!
While the giants of Scottish football are rivals, Celtic should not seek to punish the other half of the Old Firm too heavily, writes Michael Kelly
David Murray’s statement apologising for selling Rangers to someone on whom he failed to do sufficient due diligence reveals more about his approach to the problems Rangers were causing him than it does about his judgment. In the latter years of his ownership, the club was in such trouble and imposing such a burden on him that he was desperate to pass the buck so that he could concentrate on his core business which, he admitted yesterday, had recovered when once again it was his sole focus.
It was an issue of mindset and self-preservation that caused him to bale out so injudiciously. In many ways his judgment was spot on. He realised that the best thing for him financially was get out quick. He couldn’t get out quick – the club was for sale for three years – so he just got out. And just in time, because it is difficult to believe, given what we now know about the disastrous financial circumstances of the club, that administration was anything other than inevitable.
In terms of his image too, Murray’s judgment might have been right. He is suffering criticism now but condemnation would have been much more long term if the club had gone under while he was still the majority shareholder. This way he has got Craig Whyte as a scapegoat to chase before him into the desert of blame. It is just unfortunate for Murray that administration followed so quickly on his transfer of ownership. If Whyte had managed to get through even one season there might have been sufficient time elapsed for Murray to be able credibly to wash his hands of the affair. However, the fact that it did happen so fast suggests deep-seated problems that Whyte was unable to manage but certainly did not create.
It was good to hear Murray confirm that Campbell Ogilvie, one-time Rangers secretary and now SFA president, played no part in making any payments to players which Murray contended were unexceptional anyway. I have known Campbell for many years. Indeed, we used to laugh at the name RC Ogilvie at the bottom of Rangers tickets. “The only RC at Ibrox” was the joke which he shared. He is a man of principle as were most of the Rangers’ directors that I knew. It is uncomfortable for all of them that their actions may be scrutinised in the enquiries into Rangers that are promised by the SFA and others.
One subject for these investigations – should any ever take place – is whether any players’ payments were made that were contrary to the rules of football. If it is found that they were, the SFA and the Scottish Premier League will have to decide whether Rangers should be stripped of trophies won and, further, if those trophies should be awarded to the teams that finished second in the various competitions. It is against my whole view of sport that matters other than what happens on the field of play should count. But there is an obvious argument that financial cheats should be treated in the same way as athletics treats drug users. On balance then it would be right to strip Rangers of ill-gotten gains. But it might not be appropriate for other clubs to be awarded honours that they themselves didn’t actually win. For example, could Celtic in all conscience accept league titles that they threw away by Martin O’Neil’s overcautious approach at Fir Park in 2005 or the team’s failure to turn up at Inverness last season? You bet they could! Ben Johnson’s gold went to Carl Lewis. Celtic would grab these titles with both hands.
But while the rivalry on the field between Scotland’s biggest clubs has always been intense, away from the heat of games, relations have usually been warm, close and helpful. As we face this uncertain future for Scottish football one thing is sure, Celtic and Rangers must stick together. Already the other SPL clubs, scenting weakness, are banding together to plan ways in which to clip the Old Firm’s wings. Any adjustment in the way TV and other receipts are spread among the clubs must certainly improve the position of the ten. It might even lead to closer competition. But that competition would be fought at an even lower level than it is at present. European success is at the moment a distant dream. If Celtic and Rangers had even less money to spend on players they’d rarely get past the first qualifying round.
After the initial wave of pleasure at Rangers’ discomfiture most Celtic fans realise the necessity of restoring them to health. Those who still resist this notion are on the fringes. They are the ones who sing most passionately about Celtic’s history. Here is a piece of that history which they do not know but which might convince them that the club should extend a helping hand to their great rivals. Rangers were once before in financial difficulty. It was in the 1920’s when my grandfather, James Kelly (a former Scotland centre-half), was chairman of Celtic. Rangers had a temporary cash flow problem and their board came out to his house in Blantyre to explain the problem and seek help. Celtic gave them an unconditional short-term loan. The fact that Rangers felt able to ask and that Celtic willingly responded indicates that both clubs were aware of their inter-dependence. Murray sought to supplant that symbiosis – possibly because he never came to Rangers as a supporter. He would have been the first to boast that Rangers could prosper outwith the Old Firm.
But Celtic should ignore his track record and resist any collective punishment on Rangers and their fans over the mistakes of a few men. The club cannot offer Rangers any funding this time. But, it would be ludicrous to condemn any reconstituted Rangers to the third division just because that rule happened to be applied to Livingston. Change the rule. Equally, Rangers’ attempts to return to stability should not be hampered by the imposition of any financial penalties from the football authorities. Celtic, and indeed the rest of Scottish football, should make it as easy as possible for Rangers to save themselves.
It is the sporting thing to do
The huns are going bust… Seasons in the sun
Mr Regans tweet does read of a grand level of smugness, perhaps he has been given information that he feels provides a different slant/opinion/outcome on at least one of the critical matters his Organisation should be investigating,
Mr Regan should enjoy his moment of smugness if indeed that is what it is, for rest assured he will have more areas to investigate in the coming weeks,
all we ask of Mr Regan and his Organisation is that they not only do their job, but that theyre actually seen to be doing it, im honestly pleased that the SFA recently undertook an internal assessment of how they work not only with the Clubs but also the Supporters, and following that assessment identified a need for change…….Mr Regan, transparency was one of your watch words, rather than just watch it, why dont you try and implement it.
Hi Bhoys
I have this fresh dog turd here .. rancid with worms
Come over here and give it a good wee whiff.
Place yer nostrils just above it and inhale deeply
Run both nostrils over the whole log like you were smelling a cigar
alternatively
Just tune into 102.5 FM
If you get any dog turd reside on your nostrils not to worry you can always wipe here on CQN
Hail Hail
reside=residue
When Vanessa Riddle met Celtic FC at Lennoxtown
Paul67
Your article is exactly the point I made the other day.
Lawyers? I take it certain individuals are not happy with some of your articles and the questions they have raised.
Michael Kelly
“Indeed, we used to laugh at the name RC Ogilvie at the bottom of Rangers tickets”
And at the bottom of all the contracts?
Radio 5 Live are hosting a live broadcast from the Pearce Institute in Govan next Monday night. It’s titled as “Rangers, What Next?” I managed to get tickets. Should be an interesting not to say an entertaining evening. I will report the highlights next week.
HH
I went to see the Lawyers last night. They were rubbish.
god bless her majesty
s, revenue & customs
If any English Journo’s are trying to define what Celtic are all about, they might want to have a wee look at this and have a wee reflection.
Thai Tims sing for Vanessa Riddle [Caledonia]
Right now they are not the administrators and Ticketus will hardly agree to a CVA if Duff&Duffer are trying to screw them.
Is it me or are they trying very hard to get rangers liquidated.
Rangers administrators are taking Ticketus to court to try and scrap the £24.4m deal for season ticket sales struck by owner Craig Whyte.
Duff and Phelps have raised the action at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, which is scheduled to last two days starting on Thursday morning.
The administrators believe the deal for four years’ future season ticket sales may not be valid as it appeared to be agreed before Mr Whyte took over the club last May.
However, as STV revealed last week, the London firm, which is part of Octopus Investments, have repeatedly taken legal advice on the agreement and are confident it will withstand any legal action.
Ticketus, which has also emerged as a backer of the Blue Knights takeover consortium fronted by ex-Rangers director Paul Murray, also believes its deal for future season ticket sales will still be in place should Rangers FC Plc go into liquidation.
The firm, which has previously reached similar agreements with other football clubs, revealed last week that it had struck a deal for future season ticket sales with Rangers in 2009, when previous owner Sir David Murray was in charge.
In an interview given to selected press journalists this week, Sir David claimed he had been “duped” by Mr Whyte and insisted he would not have sold the club to him for a nominal £1 if he had known of the Ticketus deal.
More good news
alex thomson @alextomo Close
Making progress on Rangers/SFA/ SPL. Coming to Glasgow Monday to begin filming…..
It’s amazing to see journalism in action.
alex thomson @alextomo
Our investigation’s gong to be wide – not just Rangers but governance of the Scottish game ..
Alex Thomson is my new hero.
alex thomson @alextomo
Possibly even the ‘succulent lamb’ ‘fine red’ culture might need examination….
Oh my.
Ranjurz demise obsesses us.
I just glanced at my bookshelves and immediately noticed 3 potboilers :
“Fear”
“Panic”
“Run”
HH!
Yassss!
What’s next, John Pilger getting in on the act?
This is magic.
From Michaels Kelly’s statement:
I have known Campbell for many years. Indeed, we used to laugh at the name RC Ogilvie at the bottom of Rangers tickets. “The only RC at Ibrox” was the joke which he shared. He is a man of principle as were most of the Rangers’ directors that I knew.
Men of principle eh? Am I living in a different world to these people?
Is Alex Thomson up to film a remake of The Silence of the succulent lambs.
icked this up from the Daily Record comments section.
‘good morning ranters .plz stay calm its all looking good at the brox ,but feel free to rant away ,sad little green men (and by the way yer not irish)’
Pretty much sums up how easily they buy the spin. They don’t want to face the truth. Long may it continue.
Timabuoy
Not trying to stir trouble, but why do you post that same post every day?
Michael Kelly is an irrelevance, maybe it should be pointed out to him that it was him and his family that brought Celtic to the brink of administration. He is yesterday’s man and should be treated as such, wee Fergus knew how to deal with him and his ilk, best to ignore his bitter spoutings!