There comes a time during any endeavour when you have to ask, is this worth all the hassle? News revealed by Phil MacGiollabhain last week and swiftly picked up by the newspapers today that an SFA executive has had his life threatened for what some regard as holding a firm line on application of the game’s rules, are one of these occasions.
This is sport, it is not the struggle against apartheid. It really, really, isn’t worth putting your life on the line for.
The SFA executive who received the threat has not been named but he will hopefully find a degree of fortitude in the face of such intimidation. We have called for resignations from the SFA but not under these circumstances. If the recipient of the threat continues to work as normal they should be commended for their bravery.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to put football back on solid ground but whatever our game looks like in future, it must take on a different face. Ordinary football fans want their sport back, a sport where honesty and endeavour can be rewarded by success on the field.
That will have consequences for us. Celtic are far too powerful for any other club in Scotland to genuinely compete. 35 of our 41 clubs figured out they can do without Rangers and 34 of them know they can do without Celtic too.
They should remind Sevco rules are there for a reason and tell Celtic to stop mumbling about finding another league to play in and go do something about it. I could not be more convinced that every other club in Scotland would be better off if Celtic Park and Ibrox didn’t exist.
Question is, do the rest of the clubs have the balls to do something about it? Is the ‘Arab Spring in Scottish football’ over, or does it still have another chapter?
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CRC
What about doing a live video quiz, maybe get Cqn tv involved, could bring some extra dosh in for wee Oscar!
HH
Any club or individual that feels aggrieved by a punishment applied by a League or footballing body is able to apply to take their case to the Court of Arbitration in Sport. Subject to certain criteria, CAS may to able to arbitrate on the case. Recently two Turkish teams have been punished by UEFA for breaches of FFP rules and have taken their case to CAS. The results have interesting implications for the implementation of FFP. They also show how challenges to FFP punishments may be applied.
Bursapor had ‘overdue payables’ (i.e. tax, or salaries, or transfer fees) dating back to 2007. The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body imposed a E300k fine and also gave the club a suspended punishment of a one-year UEFA competition ban. Buraspor appealed to UEFA, who reduced the fine to E50k but imposed an immediate UEFA competition ban. Buraspor took the case to CAS who judged that the club was free to compete in UEFA competitions but should be fined E250k.
Besiktas owed millions in overdue tax, salaries and transfer fees and in May 2012 were given a E600k fine and a two-year UEFA ban on the grounds that the club had violated the FFP and Club Licensing regulations. They appealed to UEFA who confirmed the two-year ban but changed the fine to E200k, plus another E400k suspended fine. Besiktas took the case to CAS who upheld the two-year ban but imposed a E100k fine, plus another E100k suspended.
These cases are interesting as they confirm that CAS will make judgments and be willing to uphold UEFA punishments in respect of the current FFP rules (including UEFA competition bans). Although these particular cases relate to ‘overdue payables’, the indications are that other aspects of the FFP regulation (such as overspend) may also be upheld by CAS.
http://www.tas-cas.org/d2wfiles/document/5994/5048/0/Media20Release20282120_English_.pdf
http://www.tas-cas.org/d2wfiles/document/6033/5048/0/Media20Release20282420_English_.pdf
I have no idea what an SFA official being threatened over the situation at sevco has to do with Celtic’s position in scottish football.
If this association had been made in the MSM, as if Celtic’s mere presence in the league precipitates such action, then we’d be up in arms.
Argue for Celtic leaving the Scottish leagues, by all means, but please present us with reasons which are associated with Celtic, not their poisonous neighbours.
philvisreturns on 25 July, 2012 at 11:57 said:
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(thumbsup indeed)
philvisreturns on 25 July, 2012 at 12:53 said:
Philosopher Kings – Plato
Margaret McGill – …because taxpayers are their insurance. When they make money its private enterprise at its best. When they fail the socialists bail them out. It’s what Jesus would have done.
Nobody does non-sequiturs like you do Mags. xx (thumbsup)
How about the ethos of the support?
It isn’t often that sporting journalists are genuinely shocked, but the new Premier League TV rights auction surprised many. The rights to broadcast the Premier League matches from 2013 to 2016 within the UK were up-for-grabs and had been expected to be sold for a similar sum to last time. Owing to the aggressive bidding from BT and the desire by Sky to hold onto most of the matches, the bidding closed at £3.018bn (a huge increase of £1.2bn from the last auction). For an excellent in-depth piece on the new deal, read this piece from http://www.sportingintelligence.com .
The increase is so large (around 70%), that the FFP test covering years 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 should be significantly eased for all Premier League clubs. However, this assumes the clubs spend the proceeds wisely and that the new funds don’t trigger a new period of wage-escalation. Alan Sugar (Spurs Chairman at the time of the first Sky deal in 1992) talked of the ‘prune juice effect’ in football – whatever funds come in at the top are allowed to run out at the bottom (mainly on player wages). Despite clubs sharing over £1.1bn last season in TV revenue, most clubs fail to break-even. The new deal is more than 10-times the size of the 1992 deal – during this time player salaries have increased from an average £117k a year to a current average of over £2m a year (a 17-fold increase).
Analysts at Citi estimate that BT will need at least 2.5m subscribers to break-even – whether they can achieve this high figure remains to be seen. Clubs need to be mindful of the possibility that the next auction may not be as competitive and that revenue may decrease after 2015/16. With the current potential for wage escalation and with club tying players into 4 and 5 year contracts, it is important that clubs don’t over-rely on the new deal’s level of income.
One other area of risk will be at the middle to bottom end of the Premier League. There is no escaping the fact that three clubs will be dumped off the gravy-train each season. Losing a guaranteed income of over £60m a season would be a disaster for a club that had written player contracts assuming this level of income (even allowing for parachute payments).
Regarding FFP, it is important to remember that the increased revenue commences in 2013/14 – i.e. after the first two-year FFP Monitoring Period. Clubs will need to ensure that the promise of the new revenue does not get in the way of their need to meet the first Monitoring Period target.
However with up-to £120m available for the top Premier Clubs, perhaps the prospect of an additional £30m in Champions League revenue (or £6m for the Europa League) could potentially become less financially relevant.
philvisreturns 12:53
Totally agree. Clueless wonders who dictate how we should live even when they consult us and we tell them that we don’t agree with it.
At 26, you know SFA
http://ec.europa.eu/sport/library/sport-and_en.htm#C7_Licensing
ASonOfDan @ 12:53
No idea what position he plays (or even if he’s any good) but I’d like to see us buy Dofri Snorrason.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:62004J0519:EN:NOT
if Celtic want to leave Scottish Football then surely it’s up to Celtic to do something about it.
Hector Avocado
It hasn’t held back the career of Chloe Ice Maiden Smith.
Given we have 2 fit CHs, can we expect a new face by Tuesday? Will we risk playing Rogne & Mulgrew on Saturday?
embramike on 25 July, 2012 at 12:21 said:
Drinking through badge arbritration. Sounds a great idea!
Looks like a wee session is springing up after the Aberdeen game. You are welcome to join us.
HH
CRC
Dick Byrne on 25 July, 2012 at 13:02 said:
ASonOfDan @ 12:53
No idea what position he plays (or even if he’s any good) but I’d like to see us buy Dofri Snorrason.
Dofriiiiiii, as free as the wind blows
As free as the grass grows
etc
Ole Dick- not tilting your lance at any of the lassies of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea football team?
Bound to be a cheaper prospect [ie within your budgetary constraints] than Ms H.Solo.
philvisreturns on 25 July, 2012 at 12:53 said:
We should stop paying salaries to elected officials, make parliaments sit part-time, and expect elected representatives to fund their own lifestyles through either having a real job or their own money.
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(thumbsdown)
hamiltontim @ 12 56
” the ethos ” .
Hard to claim that there is a shared ethos amidst what is a very broad church . The support do not all share the same attitudes and aspirations.
ASonOfDan on 25 July, 2012 at 12:57 said:
Please tell me how legalising same sex marriage is dictating how you should live? I’d like some precise details of how this will affect you.
good afternoon cqn
saw picture of Craig Beattie in the Herald,training at Murray Park,Ian Black also there,Dean Shiels also mentioned as a possible signing
Could some one tell me,are they going to be paid in the old petrol coupons,maybe P67 Could answer ?
Was completely bemused at the starting eleven last night, to pick so many squad players a week before playing in a massive game against a team mid-way through their season beggars belief. It would have made more sense to play a strong line-up particularly in defence and up front and give the squad players a run out at the weekend.
I am disheartened to see Daryl Murphy lumbering about up front again fingers crossed we can move this big lump of wood on. Also Bangura showed nothing when he came on and young Dylan McGeoch never got involved at all before he was hooked. On the plus side Sami looked good even if he missed a couple of gilt edged chances and Forrest and Wanyama offered something when they came on.
Celtic_First on 25 July, 2012 at 13:04 said
Exactly. the higher up they get the more soul selling and ladder gymnastucs they are willing to do.
Career?
Politics should never be a career.
It should be a vocation, for the wise elders of our communities who are past shaggin, posin and caring.
Vmhan on 25 July, 2012 at 12:53 said:
Would that be CQN pay tv then? Horror films only?
Is this to save you travelling up? C’mon your just round the corner:-)
Might try and run the Friday footie quiz on a Saturday post home match if there is enough interest! Still bouncing the idea around at mo!
HH
CRC
‘Song Jong-Sun(송정순; born November 3, 1981 in D.P.R. Korea) is a D.P.R Korean Female football player (defender) who plays for Amrokgang S.G. of her native country women’s football league. With her high speed, top skills and accurate crosses, she plays an important role in her club and native country team.’
Jong- Sun ?
Maybe a long lost relative?
whitecrook tim on 25 July, 2012 at 13:08 said:
Have you seen a handsome newco? No no no!
They are certainly picking well from the peepil list!!
HH
CRC
Match report from last week, interesting to note that Reykjavik had a few chances to score against HJK.
HJK Helsinki 7-0 KR Reykjavík
Juho Mäkelä scored a hat-trick as Antti Muurinen’s side claimed a commanding triumph to all but book a place in the third qualifying round.
HJK Helsinki took a giant step towards a place in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round after Juho Mäkelä’s hat-trick helped them to a 7-0 win at home to KR Reykjavík.
The Finnish champions took control from the outset and were rewarded for their ambition when Mäkelä found the net with a tidy finish from close range. They doubled their lead seven minutes later after Joel Pohjanpalo was felled in the area by Gudmundur Reynir Gunnarsson. Returning to his homeland after an 11-year hiatus, midfielder Mika Väyrynen made up for lost time by confidently dispatched the ensuing penalty.
Far from tightening their grip, HJK allowed KR to stage a spirited response but they failed to convert a flurry of chances. The Icelanders were made to pay for their profligacy three minutes after the break, Pohjanpalo finding the top corner with a sumptuous strike and paving the way for a dominant second-half display.
Rasmus Schüller’s smart finish made it four on 57 minutes, before Pohjanpalo stripped KR of any remaining confidence with his second. Refusing to relent, HJK extended their lead through Mäkelä, before the 28-year-old forward completed his hat-trick with seven minutes remaining.
ASonOfDan on 25 July, 2012 at 12:38 said:
Tell all the huns you know…
European Cup trophy will be on display in the Celtic store at Argyle Street, Glasgow this Thursday, July 26 from 10am to 4pm. So get along to the store and see the famous trophy on display.
Where is that advertised?
I’m off work 2moro so reckon I’ll head over if its there.
BarryBhoy
If you were bemused then so was the HJK scout in the stand and that was the point of the line-up…
amgontaemabed
Son of Gabriel
Celtic site has advertised it.
Hector Avocado – At 26, you know SFA
Agreed. And if true wisdom comes from knowing that you know nothing, our child politicians fail again, because they’re convinced they are masters of the intellectual universe.
In the same way that teenagers often combine petulance with a sense of entitlement because they don’t appreciate the hard graft involved in putting a roof over their heads and food on the table, our elected representatives live in a state of arrested development, because they’ve never actually had to make or sell things or provide some other useful service to their fellow human beings for a living.
Golgafrincham B-Arkers, the lot of them. Let’s fire them into the Sun. (thumbsup)
Richie – (thumbsup) right back at ya. (thumbsup)
Hector Avocado
The counter-argument (also to what Philvis said earlier) is that you would then have a preponderance of people who were independently wealthy, just like in the nineteenth century.
Paul67 et al
Several mentions on here that Davie Weir was at the match last night. I hope he doesn’t turn up too often, Peter Lawwell might see him as that elusive experienced centre half that Neilly has been searching for!
Celtic_First – The counter-argument (also to what Philvis said earlier) is that you would then have a preponderance of people who were independently wealthy, just like in the nineteenth century.
No you wouldn’t.
This is the 21st century, we have telephones, videoconferencing, email, and the internet now.
No need to send hundreds of people to London, or Edinburgh, to physically sit for months at a time.
Make Parliament a part-time affair, say on weekends or two evenings a week. Enable electronic voting. Let debates be conducted online as well as in person.
The only people that would lose out would be the spivs, the chancers, and the leeches who see politics as a cushy alternative lifestyle to actually working for a living. (thumbsup)
Celtic_First
Dead right, always lurking and you are a cheeky swine!!
:0)
HamiltonTim
Thanks for the very kind words.
CQN love is undiminished but have less free time now than before. That will right itself soon.
SwanseaBhoy