Prima facie day is here! Neil Doncaster spent weeks telling us that the SPL had yet to establish if Rangers had a prima facie case to answer in connection with the alleged illegal registration of players. Today he confirmed to the SPL board and the media that they do indeed have a case to answer.
Rangers Employee Benefit Trusts have been the source of considerable controversy since 2010 when it emerged that HMRC had taken action against the club, at the time claiming in the region of £24m. EBTs had been recorded on Rangers accounts for a decade without much comment, so there was no reason to assume the club had made payments to players out-with the oversight of the football authorities.
On 22 February this year Celtic Quick News asked the question, were these EBT payments recorded with the SFA, or did Rangers hide them? There was little reason for the club to hide them, unless, perhaps, they had something to else hide, which was beginning to look the case.
Today we have our answer. Whatever is left of what some regard to be Rangers FC will be subject to some of the most severe disciplinary procedures levelled in the history of football. Appropriate penalties for subverting the game for over a decade are impossible to define.
Celtic fans are not the only ones to lose from this illegal registration of players but they suffered significantly. Five league titles went to Rangers, in 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2011. All of these titles will be stripped from Rangers records and awarded to Celtic.
You can look forward to 12-in-a-row day soon, which is simply, CHAMPION!
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For all those ex-smokers, I give you:
Club 12
boondocks saint,
Sorry for your sad lost.May his soul past through old Ireland.RIP
It may be the SFA or SPL take the view that past misdemeanours carry forward with the actual share that’s being transferred but that doesn’t seem right to me – its either the old company applying to re-acquire the share or its a Newco applying , entirely of new, to acquire the share forfeited by the oldco. With liquidation it simply can’t be the former.
Given the SFA are the licensing body for clubs, I see them as being akin to what companies house is with regards to companies. It is therefore the SFA membership that essentially identifies a club much as a company registration identifies a company, regardless of it’s trading name.
If Sevco FC manage to transfer the SFA membership from Rangers FC (IA) then the history (achievements and liability) are inherited.
The SFA view Airdrie Utd as a continuation of Clydebank as they bought them lock, stock and barrel and merely changed name. Sevco have not done this, they have merely bought some assets and asked, I believe, for an SPL share to be transferred.
If Sevco FC were to join the SFA as a new member then there is no continuation but they cannot (quite rightly imo) be punished for Rangers deeds, as Sevco are not the same entity as Rangers FC, regardless of their chosen trading name.
Rangers FC can still have their membership terminated and titles stripped as a punishment, however meaningless it seems.
QB
boondocks saints from the heart brother. Your da had a great life by the sounds and a loving caring family. He had Jelly and ice cream. What more could a man want. Rest in Peace. Be at peace boondocks your father will always be with you.
Sean,
sorry to hear of your Father’s death mate.
Fine words in his honour.
You and yours will be in my thoughts and prayers today.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
boondock saint
I am sorry to hear of your father’s passing.
May he rest in peace.
boondock saint on 19 June, 2012 at 09:10 said:
Thoughts with you and your family, remember the good times.
James Forrest – Desmond Tutu has not yet been approached for assistance.
Scotish football is a farce. And it is becoming worse. Is there no one who can show the leadership to sort out this whole mess without dragging the game downward?
Vote the newco in and then throw it out for the sins of the oldco? Crazy stuff.
My take on all of this is very simple.
Sevco 5088 is a new company that wants to run a new club. It is not Rangers, whatever it might decide to call itself. That’s why it needs the SPL’s permission for a share transfer. After all, there was no transfer vote when ownership of Rangers changed from Murray’s company to Whyte’s company, was there?
Rangers still exists; it has not yet been liquidated and wound up. It is still a member of the SPL and therefore has voting rights. As an ex football club I believe it should no longer be a member, but that’s not how the SPL sees it.
Rangers should now be charged on the EBT contracts issue as there is a prima facie case. If found guilty whatever punishments are agreed should be visited on the club and, if appropriate, those who used to run it. And any titles that it won through cheating should be withdrawn.
Now this should all have been sorted out by now. I believe that the delays have been deliberate so that Rangers remains an SPL team . If it had been thrown out during last season we would not be in this mess.
Sevco has no liability for anything Rangers did. It is a new company. I believe that its application to join the SPL should therefore be rejected as no one has ever joined the SPL through any means other than promotion, i.e. footballing means. If Sevco wishes to apply to join the SFL it takes its chance with anyone else who wishes to apply.
Not so difficult, is it?
‘Where does that leave Mr Regan and his Self Certification Mantra?’
-paralysed with stage fright as they prepare to go on at the oooooooooooooollllllllle Burns Howff- ‘ the Crusher of Rock Dreams’..
Fine words Sean. Sorry for your loss.
DBBIA – I do hope that Mr Regan and his Self Certification Mantra appear at the opening night of Club 12, hopefully supported by Big Fraser and the Absent Goalies.
How anyone can even consider voting the new club in amazes me, but they will.
Off the top of my head the following are outstanding.
1. Sectarian singing charge against ICT (I think).
2. Non payment of ticket money to Dundee Utd in Scottish cup which was reported at the time and would mean they can’t play this year.
3. EBT case.
4. SPL investigation into EBT and player registration. How many stolen trophies? Huns delayed supplying information.
5. SFA inquiry back at appeal stage due to Huns going to COS.
6. SFA investigation into why Huns went to COS.
7. FIFA not being happy Huns went outwith sport to civil courts.
8. Green may or may not have bought Huns. Who is part of the consortium? This was to be made public. Fit and proper?
9. McCoist to answer questions about his “clarity” threat.
All the above and trying to bully and have rules bent to suit the Huns. Not even an apology. Only in Scotland.
I dont know about anyone else, but when I read the MSM last night and their reports of the Motherwell statement, I thought Club12 were going to get their vote.
Just realised every report I read left out part of the statement.
“Our board is predominately made up of lifelong Motherwell supporters and we fully understand that fans are the single most important group within the club.
“History shows any business which ignores the wishes of its customer base rarely prospers in the long term.”
Puts a different light on it.
Pantalonio- if he does you’ll hear it here first.
Has anyone asked the SFA whether Sevco 5088 Ltd would qualify for a UEFA Club License?
boondock saint
Your words do your father proud. God bless and stay strong.
Btw your moniker reminds me that I’ve still got that film sitting at home waiting to be watched!!
ASoD
I said last night that the Motherwell FC statement was ambiguous and is very much open to individual interpretation.
Please God they do the right thing.
Gordon J
I believe that the delays have been deliberate so that Rangers remains an SPL team.
Hard to argue where Neil Doncaster is concerned. He seems determined to have the biggest SPL circus he possibly can and seems to have convinced himself that the end of including Rangers justifies whatever means it takes (trying to convince the paying public that a CVA and a Newco are more or less the same thing, for example).
I don’t agree with regard to Stewart Regan. He comes over as incompetent, out of his depth, as knee-jerk and irrationally defensive of the organisation he has represented for ten minutes as though he had been wrapped in an SFA track-suit at birth, hopeless at all media contact except maybe Twitter and, worst of all, abysmally lacking in leadership, for example in failing to take appropriate action with regard to conflicted senior colleagues.
Nevertheless, I have still seen nothing to suggest he will bend over and just take it for the Rangers cause. He appears to realise his job is on the line and that UEFA will call him to account if he fails to do the right thing regarding Rangers in the end (possibly after pondering all other possibilities first). It’s taking ages, but the SFA’s interventions with regard to the court cases have not been the actions of a body wholly compliant with the will of Rangers.
There is cause for some hope still that one of these so-called leaders will wake up one day and say to those around him, “This is all a big mess. Let’s sever our ties with Rangers and move on.”
Mikael Lustig to miss start of season for a hip operation. Turning into a bit of a pig in a poke.
Regan must surely be get cardboard boxes for all his stuff inhis soom to be ex-office.
He has shown himself to have all the leadership qualities of Haig or Santa Anna!
hamiltontim
A part of me wants them to do the wrong thing, lose their fans, go bust and give us the perfect platform to apply to another league, under the same reasons Cardiff & Swansea play in England.
ASonOfDan on 19 June, 2012 at 10:21 said:
Mate I thought I was going crazy as I read it as a positive statement of intent. I think that meeting with the supporters in advance of the vote to find out their feelings is almost an admission of an intent to vote no to newco. I actually thought I had gone mad when everyone disagreed with the way it reads but then again it’s not the first time I have been totally incorrect in my assessment.
I had the misfortune of being confronted by a thick hun at a wedding at the weekend.
I know I shouldn’t have raised to the bait (or lowered myself to his level) but I couldn’t help it.
Basically tried explaining to said thick hun that his ex team had been cheating for possibly decades.
Thick hun: “Naw mate. Whatever Ranjurs huv been doin so huv Sellik. Whit aboot Juninho?
Me: “He did have an EBT, but when our Chairman – an ex Deputy Governor of the Bank of England – found out, he scrapped it and repaid all outstanding taxes”
Thick hun: “Naw mate, he didnae. And by the way who paid fur Robbie Keane?”
Me: “Celtic”
Thick hun: “Naw mate, it wiz Dermot Desmond”
Me: “No it was Celtic”
Thick hun: “Naw mate it wisnae Who is paying fur Trapattoni?”
Me: “What? WTF”
Thick hun: “Dermot Desmond, he’s payin for Trapattoni”
Me:”Sorry I don’t want to talk to you any more”
A while later, after a few too many refreshments, I decided to talk to him again, but this time he took offence to me calling him a hun. I left shortly after, probably for the best.
This is the hun mentality – denial and whataboutery.
Dirtymac@9.05
Congratulations. I think you articulated what many of us are trying to simply explain to interested – and some uninterested- parties.
The great MSM obfuscation plan rolls on.
All logic dictates that they should be kicked out and made to start again however as many posters on here have experienced the ability of respectable Scotland to shuffle the pack is breathtaking.
I will welcome it but be amazed if proper justice is executed.
The huns get round the transfer embargo…
A TALENTED 10-year-old Greenock boy is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his heroes after signing for Rangers.
Gers fan Ryan Docherty has been training at the club’s Murray Park academy for some time and has now put pen to paper and joined the club he supports.
Thanks for the replies re Holy Water lhads,I will nip into church and ask accompanied by bottle and donation.
HH
Celtic_First,
Regan is definitely in a more difficult position that Doncaster, who is just the head of a group of 12 clubs. Regan is the head of the governing body of football in this country.
I believe that had everything that should have happened so far, all of the investigations and all of the hearings, happened in proper time there could only have been one conclusion – expulsion of Rangers from Scottish football. But no one involved wanted to pull the switch. Instead they all stood back and waited for someone else to do it.
tomthelennytim
What I read last was very confusing, but then again part of it had been left out.
Even the Killie fans have came out this morning and said No to Club12. Then again, their chairman would be quite happy to go bust and be bought over by Club12 to be the new rangers.
Quadbhoy
You are assuming the name on the SFA Certificate of Membership is RFC plc.
If it is actually “Rangers FC” then the opposites apply.
The SFA and SPL both fail to adequately define the differences betweem “Club”, “Member” and “Owner”.
It is quite possible that in SFA terms, Green is the new “Owner” of the “Club” that has a “membership” of the SFA.
In SPL terms, the issue is one share holding. A SPL share may only be owned by the ‘Owner and Operator of a Football Club’. Clearly the Owner and the Club are distinguished and distinct. Clearly RFC plc, subject to the Sevco deal being concluded, are no longer an owner nor operator of club, and thus their entitlement to hold an SPL share has ceased.
Has Green though bought the ‘Club’ as the SPL recognise it?
Has he bought the entity that is a ‘Member’ of the SFA?
If the answer to these questions are held to be YES, then the Club that fielded inelgible players in over 500 SPL games over the past decade and more will be expelled from Scottish Football, irrespective of whether Green’s Sevco company is awarded RFC plc’s SPL share.
All so terribly messy, and unnecessarily so.
TBB
ASoD
I’m of the opinion that I’d prefer for us to remain within the Scottish set up and continue to fight our corner.
Gordon J
Correct. But when the music stops, this will still be the conclusion and this will still be what they have to do.
Gordon J. hit nail head. Simples as that. There is no escape clause and at some point SFA will have no option but to pull the trigger. Can’t blame them for wanting to take there time about it , reduce the collatoral and Olgivie will go too , no choices here. But I thought sammi should go for his own good and Broonie was just potential. I still think that the SFA will ultimately need to clear the floor with this and take a few hits aloong the way for the good of Scottish Football.
Cowiebhoy
You can get my address from Paul67,I will have a wee chat with you about it,in the meantime,enjoy your holiday.
HH
Meanwhile at the Euros;
“Greece don’t look like a bad football team by accident but by design. Two forwards chosen for their ability to forage and bustle and knock into people; seven defenders/midfielders to clog and harass and stymie; and the mascot, Samaras, an unwatered spider-plant of a footballer. ”
Andrew Thomas
‘köpa grisen i säcken’ -Swedish for ‘to buy the pig in the sack’.
hamiltontim
But that corner has turned into a p1ss stained corner of wine alley. SPL/SFA have shown rangers are Scotland and Scotland is rangers. Leave them to it.
We would have plenty of corners to fight for down in England.
Regan has a choice to oversee a new era in Fitbaw if he doesn’t accept this then he should go and let someone take over and do what needs to be done.
This wrapping the poor wee sensitive huns in cotton wool caper can’t go on for much longer or the game is in danger of liquidating to.
So Nancy if you’re lurking, stop fannying around and do your job if you can’t step aside and let someone with Mallum take over.
We are all totally sick of this charade…