Former SFA president George Peat was asked by the BBC this week what regrets he had from his time at the SFA. There should be an abundance of items on that list, but there was only one – that a club asked him not to change competition rules to help Rangers with their fixtures in 2008.
In 2009, during Peat’s time as president, the SFA were subject to a Schedule 36 notice from HMRC demanding Rangers players’ contract details to be handed over. This was the time HMRC were building a case against Rangers, who disclosed one contract to the tax authority and the SFA, but decided against lodging a second contract, for EBT payments with either body.
The SFA were in a unique position to counsel Rangers on correct process. Had they done so, Rangers would have been advised that they were in breach of SFA and SPL player registration rules, which required them to submit all contracts to the sport’s governing bodies.
The SFA would subsequently be obliged to forward these contracts to HMRC and the tax crisis, which ultimately liquidated Rangers, would have occurred when the club benefited from the support of Champions League income.
As it happened, George Peat did nothing, Rangers continued to play improperly registered players for a further three years, and Rangers sold for £1 before being liquidated.
Peat, an accountant, made his way through the SFA as a director of Airdrieoneans. Despite his financial background, Airdrieoneans were liquidated in 2002 after a legendary period of mismanagement. He was SFA treasurer and vice-president, and would have had to resign his position at the Association, but managed to cling-on after becoming a director of Stenhousemuir.
A year after Peat retired as SFA president, but when he was still at Stenhousemuir, his team were the only club to vote to allow Newco Rangers direct access to the Scottish Football League Championship. Peat did not get his wish and Newco started life in the bottom tier of the SFL.
Peat also had the misfortune to lose his Head of Referees in an inappropriate email scandal connected with the visit of the Pope to Scotland. The existence of the email was denied by the SFA until evidence reached the BBC.
Perhaps most regretful of all during Peat’s SFA presidency was the handling of the lies told by referee Dougie McDonald after a Dundee United-Celtic game in 2010. McDonald lied to Celtic manager, Neil Lennon and asked his assistant referees to affirm the lie.
It became evident that linesman Steve Craven was not prepared to do so and McDonald came clean to the SFA. Despite this, the Association conspired to hold the line, as Craven claimed the Association twice asked him to stick to the lie.
All of this was reported openly but it was only the Celtic manager who was lied to, so Peat found no reason to consider his position, or anything regretful in the actions of the SFA.
He was replaced as president by a recipient and signatory of Rangers EBTs, Campbell Ogilvie. Despite Ogilvie’s acknowledged “heavily conflicted” status, it is telling that he was considered more even-handed than his predecessor.
As it happens, the subject of Peat’s one regret was ignored, the season was extended to accommodate Rangers fixture congestion, but in a twist of irony, they lost the title to Celtic and Uefa Cup final to Zenit.
George Peat is a perfect example of dysfunction at the SFA. An accountant at a liquidated club who rose from Association treasurer to president. He should be a national embarrassment, a salutary lesson on poor governance. But he’s not. In fact, he is not even that exceptional.
Foundation preparations for winter
The Celtic FC Foundation work goes on all year but the winter months are critical for those most in need in communities in and around Glasgow. There are families with more problems than you or I have imagined, who are dependent on the Foundation for the most meagre of Christmases. The homeless and countless other vulnerable people are challenged by the winter cold more than is bearable.
I am doing the Great Scottish Run half marathon on at the end of next week to raise funds for the Foundation. You can get involved by donating here.
Thank you.
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Neganon, It is your opinion that the Board is colluding with the enemy, don’t state it as a fact.
I think that it is very likely that the Board consider Sevco as a necessary evil and I equally believe that every other Club in Scotland and all involved in Scottish Football believe that the Scottish game needs Sevco.
I will go further and say that quite a large portion of the Celtic Support also feel the same.
Blogs by their nature attract a very committed type of individual and I would expect very few if any of the contributors here feel that way but I have spoken to many Celts who are quite happy to have them there as long as we are hammering them.
Anyhow I’m genuinely off out so won’t be around to respond to what I anticipate to be a righteous rant.
Soon be time for the ranters to take over tonight, bless ’em.
Neganon 2 and Canamalar,
Thanks for the replies lads, while my views diametrically differ to your own and I often look on your contributions with incredulity and some degree of anger I don’t doubt the sincerity and genuine nature of your beliefs.
Celtic are the victims in this and we as fans have felt the brunt of issues outwith our direct control.
There is nowhere for us to go, no -one else cares and whatever we do we are between a rock and wee hunned-up hard place full of sleeekit krafty kretins.
Do we give up?
Naw, we just try to keep putting it upto thums.
HH.
CORKCELT on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2018 7:14 PM
was that gun loaded.
Worrying reports coming from Spain tonight.
Apparently the Villareal team bus is quivering and sobbing uncontrollably in the back corner of its garage and refusing to come out this week.
‘Naganon @6:57’
sorry neg – the ‘nag’ part made me titter
Are there not two Celtics ? One a business and the other a community totem, a Club like no other ?
( Indeed, there is also a third one that is simply a football Club like any other) .
The first one behaves in a way which jars with members of the second ( whilst the third are oblivious).
We are doing well as a business; not so well as a Community Club.
I should have taken my time and made my point with more conviction and clarity but I hope the point is made anyway.
JJ
Mike in Toronto I love a bit of passion in my romance but one sided irrational anger is hard to bear. I haven’t met turkeybhoy but there is something that tells me I might not find him that attratcitive (sorry turkeybhoy), besides it’s women in general for me.
As for nags th al,OST feels like a compliment to me…..
Corkcelt for an intelligent chap you need to stop parking your brain.
So having good old fashioned racism is good for business so that justifies it? What nonsense. If something is wrong it’s wrong. I’m sure in South Africa they debated whether ending apartheid would be destabilising on the economy but unsurprisingly they felt there was a bigger goal.
It’s always the racists who prefer the status quo. Go figure.
Have some morale courage. It’s sadly lacking on CQN. Paul 67 you in particular I find lacking in morale courage. What happened to it?
‘the travelling all stars of PSG’ said the commentator – all off 4 englishmen in the scouse team -mmmmmm
and the rest of the EPL is like the harlem globetrotters
When’s the new blog out ?
Nah…didnt think so…???
HOT SMOKED,
Are you implying that Celtic is a holy trinity?
What a clip of Klopp clapping the Kop.
Hail Hail
Matt
fans telly on thursday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3zVTLpt52g
Neg, I’m back in, first thing a bit pedantic but it annoys me. There is no such thing as morale courage what you are talking about is moral courage
Second thing as a man who spent his life fighting causes where my side was a small minority, I don’t need lectures from a keyboard hard man on moral courage.
You live in Scotland and as such are more familiar with Scottish racism than me, it obviously is something you feel deeply about and that’s Ok.
I hate racism but the reason I post here has nothing to do with racism. I’m a football Supporter my team is Celtic and I came on here just to talk about football and to share my passion for Celtic with fellow fans.
If that seems shallow to you so be it.
I post a lot less now mainly because zealots like yourself tend to dominate proceedings & set the agenda.
Not for a second would I wish to stifle debate but for me the ideal solution would be to have a twin thread on here, one which would be dedicated to football and a second to all other matters.
I have absolutely no doubt that should that happen we would never cross swords again as we would never read each other’s posts.
Monaco v Atletico Madrid
Referee: William Collum
The case just dismissed included earlier hearings and a planned 5 day trial for the Tims accused. Think on that, at least 7 planned court dates for a couple of blow up dolls. Only in Scotland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3il9rf6lPE
This article is a collector’s item. In the space of a few lines almost all the dots have been joined.
No hysterics. No victimhood. No distortions. Just an accumulation of truth upon truth.
A clear-eyed account of the state we’re in.
Liverpool crunching (fairly) into Neymar at every opportunity. Which is very nice to see.
Evening CorkCelt
Hope you are well? You across on Thursday?
I love that you come on here to talk about Celtic, your passion, our passion, even Neganon’s passion.
Eat, Sleep, support Celtic and Repeat. Pretty much all of our get ups, but shown in so many different ways.
Sometimes I feel however that the lead articles either don’t talk about Celtic or demonstrate a perceived lack of action by Celtic. Today probably cover both these points and then we have the Turkeybhoy and Neganon love in to contend with:-)
Last Man Standing 11 entries have hit the magnificent 67 number, so a free entry to be drawn. The next free entry will be drawn at 88 entries.
To enter, send an email to cqnpredictor@gmail.com
HH
CRC
i see it’s stevenn gerrard’s rangers again.i think i will write in and let them know it’s BDO’s rangers and in fact it’s sevco.
I’m fine CelticRollerCoaster, unfortunately won’t be over this Thursday.
Haven’t been on too much lately but saw your daughter’s results on Facebook, what can I say, Brilliant doesn’t describe it.
Heartiest congratulations to ye all. not wishing to bring my spat with Neganon into it but that is how you beat racism.
Watched the Barcelona-PSV game earlier. Now taking in Liverpool-PSG. Can’t quite follow what their game is. Both teams are consistently passing the ball forward to players running into space and showing inventiveness from corner kicks. How odd. Can’t see it catching on.
IniquitousIV
IniquitousIV
and nobody parking the bus
To be perfectly honest, watching the Champions League this evening only brings home how dire we are at the moment. We are nowhere near even competing at this level.
:)
David17
probably £1bn worth of players on the park – and it shows – but as i haven’t a dog in the fight don’t care who wins ( neither qualified as champions)
These multi million pound teams playing in the “Champions” league are so far ahead of us it’s maybe a good thing we never made it…….
I would hope that our manager is watching the CL games tonight, football as we should be at least trying to play.
Pass and move, pass and move, football is a simple game when it’s played well.
CG
CG DB FB KT
CMcG SB TR
LM LG SS
4-3-3 attack, attack attack.
Gene
I thought PSG won their league
Corkcelt
Thanks for those kind words and indeed everybody’s in respect of Caityrollercoaster. I miss her immensely ( already), so looking forward to her fleeting visit on Thursday for the game. Thank you DundeeCelticTravelClub for bringing her down on your bus.
Now whilst I cant stand our “back of the bus” approach by the board (IMO), it is our love of Celtic that is bringing my oldest daughter home on Thursday.
HH
CRC
ps Neg is really a pussycat, he just growls to much at times :-)
GENE on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2018 8:59 PM
Not necessarily referring to the Liverpool game. Plenty of similar sized Clubs to us holding their own. Paris did win the French league btw.
It was season 16/17 they didn’t win it – doh
A feast of entertaining football on the telly tonight and s0me fholk want to rant on about a decomposing bit of vegetable matter