In his Christmas Day message last year, Uefa president, Michel Platini spoke in the firmest terms possible about many of the issues facing Scottish football right now.
He told us that 2011 was “one of those years where one feels the weight and magnitude of one’s responsibilities, but which equally serves to provide greater strength. Because, the just cause – however difficult it may be – is all the more obvious.”
This is a strong statement of intent. Platini fully understands the position of president is not ceremonial, it has weighty responsibilities. If he believes these specific words, “the just cause – however difficult it may be – is all the more obvious”, he must take an immediate active involvement to protect the game in Scotland.
M Platini goes on to say, “To be a president is not to have an organisation at one’s service, but to be at the service of an organisation, of a game, of football.”
Scottish FA president, Campbell Ogilvie, who has been inextricably linked to the on-going improper registration of Rangers players allegations his organisation declined to investigate, would do well to consider these words. He is in place to serve the game yet he has offered us no information on the subject.
Michel then added, “It has been a year which has underlined the importance of our organisation [Uefa] as one of the guarantors of the values, stability and equity of this sport.”
Uefa guarantee the values, stability and equity of football. They do not work towards equity, they ensure it is imposed, you have the president’s word.
“It has been a year in which certain of our national associations have had to take courageous decisions to preserve the justice and integrity of our sport.”
Here, Michel could be speaking about the SFA, who have to take courageous decisions to preserve justice and integrity in the face of gross charges of financial and regulatory doping on a scale not seen anywhere in Europe.
His most important comment, which reflected on 2011, was:
“A year in which we have also had to remain solid and defend our values – sometimes alone – to guarantee the respecting of the rules and the equity of the competitions, and to prevent football becoming a hostage of a few for their own profit and interests.”
“Respecting… the rules and the equity of the competitions”. This includes player registration rules.
More importantly, “to prevent football becoming a hostage of a few for their own profit and interests”.
This is where we are today. Football in Scotland has become a hostage of a few who will follow their own interests, not those values Michel Platini holds dear.
The president goes on to say that 2011“has been a year in which, unfortunately and at the expense of certain agonies, football has emphasised its need for transparency and governance, aspects which are so important in relation to the respect which is so dear to me.”
There may be other countries in Europe more deserving of M Platini’s intervention, but the crisis in Scotland is acute and urgent, and the SFA appear overwhelmed. We need the oversight only Uefa can provide and its president promised in his Christmas message.
For an extended synopsis of how we got to where we are, catch up on Saturday’s blog.
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Neil Lennon is going to be the first to win a treble with a club both as a player and as a manager.
Tell everybody.
Paddy Gallagher on 12 March, 2012 at 20:22:
Good news, a wee treble of your own…good on you mate
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Thanks to those you wished me well earlier. I was offerred the job there and then. The wages are abysmal but at least its a job and I will now be moving to Northumberland in Easter weekend. Now need to know which pubs to watch the Bhoys in, either in Morpeth area or Newcastle.
Celtic_First on 12 March, 2012 at 21:36 said:
Auldheid, the Aberdeen fans aren’t English.
——————–
Thought you meant the Ch4 guy. the same point was made about him. Sorry.
neveralone
Ta for that. But you must have enjoyed his exuberance yesterday when the first goal went in?? Thats why thems hate him so much.
HaiL HaiL
Partizan-Congratulations,they always say it’s better to look for a job,when you are in a job.Hope it leads to bigger and better.HH.
Jude
Lennybhoy was going.
O.G.Rafferty on 12 March, 2012 at 21:01 said:
Auld Neil Lennon at 20:38.
There’s more to come
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It does seem to be a river in full flow.
‘We are currently putting these and other questions to Mr Ogilvie via the SFA’
In which case Ogilvie’s days are numbered.
Thank God for the English based media.
Lasley has had 3 red cards this season. But 3 times ive heard its not in his game tonight. Wee thug!!
Partizan
Glad to hear that mate fingers crossed for ye!
Auldheid
To be fair to you, I did mean him as well.
Jude 2005-I posted last night,if a Celtic player committed that assault,I would want him disciplined.
Belated congratulations on a great article Paul.
Just hope Platini is an avid CQNer
:-)))
Auld Neil Lennon at 22:25
Let’s say that he is very much up to speed on what’s important in this story
Anyone thought about lodging a competing bid for entry to the Scottish league. If Scotland’s shame are liquidated they lose their league place, Gretna, Clydebank and Airdrie style, and have to re-apply. Why don’t we try to enter our U-19s so they have a bit of competition. Or why don’t we pick a junior side and sponsor their bid instead. I’d rather see Clydebank return to top flight football than Rangers.
Surely something has to be done about Leckie’s “boys club” comments in today’s rag. That is an absolutely horrific thing to say and him and his floor wipe newspaper should be banned from Celtic Park for a very long time. Any Celtic fan that buys that sorry excuse for toilet roll has to take a long hard look at themselves.
Craiginho
http://www.donssupporterstogether.com/dons-supporters-together-statement-on-rangers-situation/
goldstar10 on 12 March, 2012 at 22:08 said:
James Forrest single handedly saved our season in the 3-3 game v Killie,
Wee James was great,but I thought it was Anthony Stokes who grabbed that game by the scruff of the neck. Two individual goals and unlucky not to get a winner.
Partizan
Congrats.
MWD
Forrest is a young Bhoy.
Let’s not start another McGeady slamming on our young star.
MWD supporting James Forrest 100%
ASonOfDan on 12 March, 2012 at 22:00 said:
Quickly on to say the latest article on FF is the most disturbing thing I have ever read. Apparently, rangers problems are all caused by a Celtic Cult and shadowy Celtic minded government officials.
Nothing to do with not paying their taxes year after year.
One Nation, No place for Celtic…
—————————————–
I read it, at first it seemed a promising piece questioning sdm and mbb then it went on to become the usual not our fault, Celtic have put pressure on the government and hmrc
Lasley is a mib protected plastic hardman. leaves his boot in every game and gets away with it against us. my wish would be big roy or big mick in their hayday to flatten him.
obonfanti1888, at 22:11
I’ll tell you why – he’s a proper journalist. Someone who, when presented with the information, can see a real story worth pursuing. And he knows this is a real story
Auld Neil Lennon heid,
I genuinely hope you’re right, although with regard to FFP, why some losses can still be met by benefactor funding is a mystery to me – I concede, however, that this “allowance” is supposed to reduce over future years.
My concern is more to do with UEFA’s governance role. I perceive them – maybe you can correct me – to be far too passive in this role. It doesn’t require an annual audit of national FA’s – although that could be argued for – to monitor, and take action on key shortcomings.
Our own beloved SFA – was there ever a more apt acronym – have, at best, woefully inadequate processes, and incompetent executives incapable of leadership.
1) Scrutiny of contracts – players from one of the top two clubs in the country have contracts lodged which show player wages patently and substantially below market value, because of what we now know to be the EBT scheme. These are seemingly accepted without question.
2) This club is sold to an individual whose background, at the point leading up to the sale, was seemingly a complete mystery. As it turns out, a quick check at companies house is not required. The SFA’s view that a fit and proper persons check is the sole responsibility of the club, and that the SFA has no responsibility in this is laughable.
3) Ogilvie is still in place, where the relationship between himself and that club during the period in question is known and yet has not been investigated.
The SFA are patently not fit for purpose, and show no signs of becoming so. Who intervenes in such cases if not UEFA?
Bloody phone didn’t let me finish.
So it’s all celtics fault and hmrc’s fault for letting the unpaid tax get to such an amount. Not once is it a case of we f*cked up and have to face the consequences. We are rangers and there’s always somebody waiting to put money into us.
The arrogance has worsened since they went into administration.
Goldstar/macjay
In fact you’re both correct. The foul on Stokes which wasn’t given tiled him to such an extent that he could have scored 4 in a twenty minute spell.
That coincided with wee Forrest’s most impressive spell in a Celtic jersey.
Between them they saved our season.
Gents, anyone got an email address for Paul67?
Thanks.
hamiltontim on 12 March, 2012 at 22:24:
Alas I did not make it to the George Galloway gig. Family bash last night for my Mum’s birthday.
From my good friend CM67 who along with other mates said it was brilliant. Standing room only. No Bar service during his stint, two hours I hear.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Around about the period of that Kilmarnock game and the ‘bad’ period, how many games did Scott Brown play?
O.G.Rafferty on 12 March, 2012 at 22:40 said:
obonfanti1888, at 22:11
”I’ll tell you why – he’s a proper journalist. Someone who, when presented with the information, can see a real story worth pursuing. And he knows this is a real story”
####
It’s also a story that resonates with what’s happening politically in Scotland with the debate over independence.
The only good knews for the huns and the SFA in all of this is that it’s not Michael Crick who’s on the case.
weeron on 12 March, 2012 at 22:45:
celticquicknews@gmail.com
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
O.G.Rafferty on 12 March, 2012 at 22:40 said:
yeah, I figured! just look what happens when an actual journalist takes a peek at scottish football; someone with no axe to grind can clearly see the inherent absurdity that is Ogilvie still being in the SFA! funny thing is, you just know some fans in Scotland will probably just write that off, after all I’ve always been annoyed at the Scottish tendency to lecture others about corruption; you know the type: “it could never happen here”……
be interesting to see if the channel 4 guy’s interest is sufficiently piqued to warrant further investigation!
Evening bhoys from a warm cave in the mountains.
Congrats to PaddyG and Partizan.
Just calming down now, just spent an hour puting together a flatpack chest of drawers without instructions, the swaering was better tahn I thought it would be, just kept topping up with a suberb Ribera Del Duero called Hachon.
Paul67
You have more faith in uefa than I do, I hope your faith is proved right.
Delighted to see that RC Ogilvie is coming into the sights now, as well as Minty and the cardigan, the sooner they are brought to book the better.
Then the real problem to be tackled are the referees, sort them and I couldn’t give a toss about the rest, they will take care of themselfs.
Non Judgment: In our world where it seems we are taught to judge everything all around and about us and we spend so much of our time doing just that, it might be wise to ask if we can judge anything. To judge anything with any degree of clarity and accuracy we would need all the information past, present and future and how it will affect all concerned to make a perfect judgment. Since no one has that skill, ability or information, you might agree, it may be unwise to judge. This idea may be hard to accept, but when you look back over your life and the judgments you made, ask yourself. How many of your judgments, when you made them, were you perfectly sure they were correct, would you want to change now with the benefit of 20
20 hindsight? Since every judgment is only an opinion based on the limited information at hand, filtered through one’s personal value system, it might be safe to assume no two people will judge anything exactly the same. Even concepts of right and wrong, good or bad morals and ethics are only opinions, for what may be good in one case may be a disaster in another.
themightyquinn,
yer right
we shudnae judge… ah blame the kafflicks
obonfanti1888 on 12 March, 2012 at 22:49 said:
He has announced it as the first of three articles.
There’s quite a lot of activity on his twitter; he says that he hopes he’s been fair, that he feels the blog comments demonstrate that fans are not vindictive but seek justice, and that many fans of other clubs are demanding punishment. Oh, and he want’s Campbell to say why he isn’t on gardening leave… lol!
Night all.
HaiL HaiL
Until we meet again…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!