No illegal registration punishment, judicial independence scrapped

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The Daily Record today report the contents of a document drawn up after a meeting between the SFA, the SPL, the SFL and Sevco suggesting “punishments for Rangers for the Employment Benefit Trust tax dodge used by Sir David Murray’s regime to pay players”.

The document details that Rangers would be stripped of titles and trophies ‘won’ by the club while they fielded illegally registered players, described by the Record as “the harshest ever seen in football”.

While Rangers EBTs had been in the news for close to two years, it was Celtic Quick News who first raised the question of Rangers players being illegally registered in an article on 22 February this year.  Clubs are required to note all payments players receive in connection to football with both the SFA and SPL as part of the player registration process.  Failure to register EBT payments is completely separate to the legality or otherwise of how the EBT was conducted, and until we raised the issue, there was no question over player registration, and no possibility of league titles being stripped.

Two weeks after Celtic Quick News brought the matter to public attention the SPL appointed solicitors Harper MacLeod to investigate the case.  The subsequent report concluded Rangers had a case to answer.

There are a number of alarming aspects to today’s Daily Record report (the newspaper appears to have the main story but don’t notice its relevance):

Sevco should not be involved in any discussion around the guilt of Rangers or any subsequent consequences.  Fan  power in recent weeks had shown that we are not a Banana Republic.  Disciplinary issues are subject to establish procedures.  Any attempt to meet with a party acting on behalf of Rangers to agree an outcome with both the investigating body and the appeals body, before an independent inquiry takes place, contaminates all who participate.

Scottish football has independent judicial procedures for dealing with serious breaches of rules.  Executives from the SFA and SPL have absolutely no authority to set-aside these procedures, nor are they appropriate people to act instead of the independent procedures.

Stripping Rangers of titles and trophies if they are found guilty of cheating is not a punishment; this simply reflects the legitimate winners of past trophies.  When an athlete is found to have cheated to win a medal, his punishment is not the withdrawal of the medal, which is an obvious consequence of being caught, he will also face a sporting or financial penalty, often a ban.

There seems to be no end of attempts to subvert sport in Scottish football.  There must be no backroom deals, not even if they bring a barrel load of trophies to Celtic, we cannot be bought-off by bling.  Independent disciplinary procedures must take place.

Although Rangers failed to register players EBTs, this matter is separate from what the Record calls “punishments for Rangers for the Employment Benefit Trust tax dodge used by Sir David Murray’s regime to pay players”.

If the First Tier Tribunal (remember that?) rules that Rangers broke tax rules the club could yet face football disciplinary procedures for failing to pay social taxes.

Last month we reported that the SFA was set to remove independent judicial oversight from the game as its existence was getting in the way of their plans for ‘Rangers’.  Although the Daily Record seem to be oblivious to the fact, they appear to have found documentary evidence that this is the case.

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  1. St Stivs, hope you and the dog are doing well..cheers for posting the photos around paradise, seeing the glasgow bus brought some great memories back to me. The first time my father brought me over to see the hoops, you can only imagine the effect a tricolour bus had on a 7 year old from the Falls Road!

  2. morning bhoys

     

    can someone tell me why only 5 spl titles can be removed from ra gers

     

    according to the bhun

     

    from 2002 onwards

     

    the spl started in 1998

     

    so why not titles win in 1999 and 2000

     

    hope someone can provide the reason

     

     

    jam67

  3. strand67 on 19 July, 2012 at 00:22 said:

     

     

    jeese oh, its good to see a random post from you big fella.

     

    your a wee bit of a Paddy McCourt mystery, everybody knows you exist but you only pop up now and again.

     

     

    usually with a Belfast sink.

     

     

    Your Da was obviously a good man for bringing his 7 year old over in the first place.

     

    A tri-colour bus.

     

     

    the huns were right, it an unseen fenian hand conspiracy.

     

     

    but good to know your surviving, get your self over for the new season, and gies a shout .

  4. celticrollercoaster supporting wee Oscar

     

    I sent an email regarding my request for badges but haven’t had a reply m8

     

    Did you recive the one I sent last night ?

     

    HH

     

    FTSFA

  5. St Stivs…

     

    As you know i always lurking, so behave yourself. Im fighting with the ticket office at the minute, they made a mess of changing my seat from 113 up to 402, when and if they sort it out, i will be over for the aberdeen game .l will give u a shout before and meet up.

     

     

    Your right, my auld fella was one of the best, reared his son,s and his grandson in the hoops. Some legacy to leave.

     

     

    The game he took me to was 1974 v Athletico Madraid, semi final. We will back at that level one day..Keep her lit as they in the six counties!

  6. Keep it Lit, as Saint Stivs stole as his salutations without anyone really knowing what it means.

     

     

    HH

  7. Margaret McGill on

    Growing up in darkest Scotland looking around every corner, I never felt quite comfortable being a member of a group whose symbol was a guy nailed to two pieces of wood.

  8. Can someone PLEASE give me a clue about the next big story to break-and no -im not chic young

  9. Margaret McGill on

    I think what people do with their colons, genitals and other organs is their own business. If they belonged to other species we’d eat them. What is this cannabalaphobia anyway? Body of Christ?

  10. Margaret McGill on

    The huns are threatening to burn down Hampden if ONE hun title is rescinded.

     

    So 5 or 6 should do it then eh?

  11. Margaret McGill on

    verdantvic on 19 July, 2012 at 01:28 said:

     

     

    Yes. Presbyterianism is in for a hard time in Scotland. Too many of them believe that when they die, their soul goes up on the roof of the big hoose and gets stuck.

  12. Margaret McGill on

    Fortunes Favour Mibbes on 19 July, 2012 at 01:35 said:

     

     

    Doh! What am I like? Sorry. I meant to say Frisbeetarianism!

     

    damn spellchucker!

  13. Frisbeeterianism – the worship of Martians and their flyin saucers. Actually an occult religion as it contrives to encourage people to participate unwittingly in its rituals under the guise of a juvenile game.

  14. Margaret and Fortunes

     

    thank you so much-i do hope they investigate them thoroughly-which i suppose means independents are required-thats the worry-this country has allowed scum instead of cream to rise to the normally respected jobs in society-i see tfplg is in trouble-if that was our Neil -hed be in jail

  15. verdantvic

     

     

    Aye, but am sure an Edinburgh jury would soon see the wrong in that….er…..I’ll let Alex Salmond answer that one…when he’s not playing frisbee with his policies :)

  16. The pain of the past haunts me with the huns

     

    as im sure a lot of citizens feel

     

    a lifetime of dealing with nightmarish scum

     

    the average hun is a sub prime

     

    -state creation of threat and ignorance

     

    -`i meet supposed civil people regularly

     

    but find the huns defended by the “theres loads of decent fans” crap

     

    decent fans would have a strong voice

     

    where are they?

     

    i cant hear them

  17. TinyTim on 18 July, 2012 at 23:44 said:

     

    >>>>>

     

    That is one of the best ideas I have ever heard! I will pay for those photies….even if it’s only with brain cells mangled by hysteria !

     

    HH!

     

    TinyTimIsMyHero CSC

  18. Self denial is a wonderful thing isn’t it?

     

    Just pretend it didn’t happen and all will be well.

     

     

    Just pretend you didn’t lose the game, all will be well.

     

    Just pretend all those opposition fans aren’t knocking the p*sh, all will be well.

     

    Just pretend your team is not playing in some remote backwater of Scotland, all will be well.

     

    Just pretend your club isn’t being liquidated, all will be well.

     

    Just pretend Sevco Scotland Ltd is just a continuation of your club, all will be well.

     

     

    Just pretend anything you like, but I hate to tell you:

     

    your club IS dead;

     

    your club HAS been exposed as possibly the worst cheats in British sport;

     

    your glorious history HAS been exposed as a total sham;

     

     

    But, look on the bright side, all IS well.

  19. We’ve just watched a brilliant film,’Le Rafle'(The Roundup) about what the nazis did to the Jews in Paris.

     

    Heartbreaking,but truly great acting…..and a warning from history.

     

    So,when we see those scum huns givin’ it the old sieg heil,we are right to wonder why they are not nicked and why their rotten disgusting club (dead) has not been dragged through the msm and exposed for the utter filth I’m afraid it still is.

     

    Antifascist until I die.

     

    HH!

  20. A brilliant set of analogies from a poster over on RTC.(winner of The Orwell Prize 2012)

     

     

    viktor komorowski says:

     

    18/07/2012 at 4:04 pm

     

     43 5 Rate This

     

    the problems thrown up by the dual existence of Schrodinger’s Cat FC have resulted in a catch 22 for the allegedly new regime at ibrokes.

     

     

    we are not the old club!

     

    well then, you have no accounts of any kind, not even the defective, inchoate accounts of the old company and the rules asy you can’t get in.

     

     

    we are the people!

     

    then pay your football debts to rapid,palermo,hearts,dunfermline,dundee utd,celtic etc.

     

    take the penalties from the disrepute charge,

     

    accept sanctions resulting from the ebt/dual contracts investigation(if that ever gets completed)

     

     

    ALSO

     

    risk being judged to be holding out as old liquidated company and be hit for all oldco debts and pursuit of assets bought.

     

     

    is it time to OPEN THE BOX?

     

     

    “The evil that men do lives after them;

     

    The good is oft interred with their bones” ~mark anthony [in “julius caesar”]

     

     

    Oh, how theArtistsFormerlyKnownAsThePeople wish to obtain the reverse of the above, so their achievements live on in their name, while the evil they have done is interred with their bones and not haunt them.

     

     

    this talk of stripping titles, while i accept is important to many, and may indeed be correct, is, i believe, perhaps also he latest insult to the fans by the administrators.

     

    this is not because such a process lacks merit, but it is seen by those in power who have shown such contempt for fans and the “muppets” who give their time to “smaller” clubs, as something the fans will accept as a just and final punishment, while in reality the organisational structure which allowed, promoted, defended and gerrymandered the years of corruption and cheating in the scottish football authorities and the MSM remains essentially intact.

     

     

    when the soviet union fell, unlike many eastern bloc satellites who ended up with former dissidents in power, just had an orwellianesque tranformation where the same people who had run the old system, putin and his kgb pals, stayed in power and are still in power today.

     

     

    we need REAL perstroika and glasnost in scotland. this is a chance that presents intself only once in a few generations in any nation. it is time to purge the SPL and the SFA of the anciens regime and especially those connected with Toxic FC and treat the journalists of apologia for the crimes and shame of RFC(NIL) with the contempt they deserve and the abscence of an audience that is their oxygen.

  21. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    FROM THE SUN-NEIL LENNON,UFB…….

     

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

     

    Take their titles away

     

     

    TROPHY STRIFE … Lennon wants titles like those won by Gers and Barry Ferguson taken off shamed club

     

    Pic: Kenny Ramsay

     

    By PAUL HUGHES

     

    Published: 18th July 2012

     

    NEIL LENNON wants Rangers stripped of the titles they won during the EBT years.

     

    11 comments

     

    Related Stories

     

    Boss says titles are tainted

     

    NEIL LENNON didn’t get into football for the money — he did it for the glory.

     

    The Celtic boss last night backed plans by football chiefs to enforce historical punishments if Gers are found guilty of using dual contracts to pay players.

     

     

    Rangers are facing up to losing NINE trophies won between 2002-2011 — five SPL titles and four Scottish Cups.

     

     

    Lennon said: “I’ll see what the commission finds and if Rangers are found to have broken the rules they should be stripped of their titles.

     

     

    “It will not change what has gone on in the past, but I suppose there will be a sort of moral victory in that respect.

     

     

    “It is not going to change my life now, by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be good to be changed for historical reference.”

     

     

    The news Rangers face the humiliating prospect of handing back trophies is the latest blow for the club which was liquidated in June.

     

     

    It would result in them losing the tag of the world’s most successful league champions.

     

     

    Their title trophy haul would be reduced from 54 to 49, seeing Northern Irish club Linfield out in front on 50 and Celtic would move on to 48.

     

     

    Hoops boss Lennon added: “I wouldn’t want the medals, just the recognition. That would be enough.”

     

     

    It’s believed the measures were put together by members of the SFA, SPL, SFL and representatives from Charles Green’s Sevco.

     

     

    While Celtic are preparing for Champions League duty, Rangers are fighting to be ready for their new life on the bottom rung of Scottish football.

     

     

    Sevco are still waiting to hear if the new club have been granted SFA membership ahead of their entry into the Third Division.

     

     

    They are also being told to accept the one-year transfer embargo imposed by the SFA that they had the Court of Session overturn — as well as the newco being ordered to pay Rangers’ old football debts to clubs in Scotland and Europe.

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

     

     

    Gaun yersel,Neil!

  22. Margaret McGill on

    Just cause the monkey is off your back doesn’t mean the circus has left town.

  23. Aye, Lenny knows the damage is done.

     

     

    Titles that should have been ours, or more importantly, his, BTM’s, WGS’, MON’s and TB’s….all taken by underhand stealth and behaviour so sneaky it would shame a Tory closet homosexual.

     

     

    It’d all feel like little reward now to those men that played and fought for them against the crooked machine of hunnery.

     

     

    Just take them all away from them as is par for the course when dealing with cheating. And then punish them. Bearing in mind they cheated on a grand scale.

     

     

    Let’s not ever forget they still needed MIBbery to secure the games they played in.

     

     

    Absolutely disgusting excuse for a football club. Dare I say it….only in Scotland.

  24. Aye, they leave Scottish football to the delight of all of the country that loves football and hates what they stand for…..still a pathos about it though…..after legends like JS took this country 30 yrs ahead in football – they set it right back with penalties.

     

     

    It’s going to take a long time to recover from the damage they’ve done.

     

     

    What makes it all the more ridiculous is that rather than address the issues relevant to getting the game back on track here, the administrators of Scottish football are still concentrating more on rescuing hunnery than anything else.

     

     

    It’s staggering stuff.

     

     

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veGF9Vjo_IE

  25. Margaret McGill on

    I posted this in April

     

     

    Huns Tainted Titles

     

     

    1997

     

    1999

     

    2000

     

    2003

     

    2005

     

    2009

     

    2010

     

    2011

     

     

    Huns Tainted Scottish Cups

     

     

    1999

     

    2000

     

    2002

     

    2003

     

    2008

     

    2009

     

     

    Huns Tainted Scottish League Cups

     

     

    1997

     

    1999

     

    2002

     

    2003

     

    2005

     

    2008

     

    2010

     

    2011

     

     

     

    Thats 22 Tainted trophies in the EBT era plus all the tainted European money they squandered that could have went to other Scottish clubs especially the untainted Celtic. I wonder how many European teams will be after compensation when the facts are laid “bear”.