SPL chief executive, Neil Doncaster, has until this week insisted that the inquiry he instructed Harper MacLeod to conduct had yet to establish if there was prima facie evidence that Rangers had, in flagrant abuse of league and SFA rules, operated a dual contract system for over a decade.
BBC Scotland’s documentary, Rangers – The men who sold the jerseys, established that at least 38 Rangers players had written agreements to pay them money in connection to playing football and that none of these agreements were registered with the SFA and SPL.
We have gone several stages beyond prima facie. Harper MacLeod can stand down, their inquiry is moot.
Fifa rules dictate that all national associations to hold records of player contracts in order that they can ensure rules are followed and a level playing field is established. These rules are reflected in the player registration process of the Scottish FA and the Scottish Premier League rules.
While every other club in the country was paying tax on player wages, Rangers were able to recruit more and better players for the same amount of money as Employee Benefit Trusts were not taxed. This enabled them to put better teams on the field, win games and win trophies, while their opponents played by the rules and on five occasions lost league titles narrowly.
Rangers told Ronald Waterus’ agent, in correspondence seen by the BBC, was told, using the trust was “in the interests of Ronald as it enables him to receive funds tax-free.
“I can confirm that we will not pay these amounts to [Ronald] unless they are made through the use of the remuneration trust.”
Our game has been rigged since at least 2000. The level playing field some of us were naive enough to believe existed was a mirage. The reach of this practice at Rangers is staggering. 72 staff in total, including seven former directors, one of whom remains president of the SFA.
For corrupting Scottish football on this scale, there can only be one punishment.
The documentary was a triumph of investigative journalism by Mark Daly, Martin Conaghan and the team, who were drawn from news and sport. The BBC is in a class of its own when it comes to complex projects like this. It is incredible that they managed to acquire side letters for 38 players. Perhaps a full investigation by the authorities will reveal more evidence.
You can buy a hard copy of the new issue of CQN Magazine via Magcloud here.
The graphic below is just for a flick through, to read the magazine go here to it’s dedicated site.
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Sixteen roads to Golgotha
In the cup competition every club that Rangers cheated on route to that cup has the same claim on the trophy as the team that contested (showed up for) the final.
Joanna Lumley is a tim.
Has Daly’s Prog caused the burden of Proof to be shifted onto Duff & Duffer?
God Bless John Stein.
The Big Man.
On 25th May, 1967, 11 young men from the west of Scotland defeated Inter Milan on a sultry late afternoon in Lisbon, to become the first British team to win the European Cup.
To this day, Celtic, led by the legendary Jock Stein, remain the only Scottish side to win European football’s premier club competition.
If anyone wants to know how a huge club like Rangers got themselves into their current situation, that’s all you need to know.
Rangers are Scotland’s establishment club. With Scottish football dominated by the Irish upstarts from Glasgow’s east end in the early years of the 20th Century, Protestant Scotland needed a Champion and in the years following the First World War Rangers implemented a “no Catholics” signing policy as they made themselves the natural home of the anti-Celt.
Putting Celtic in their place became, and remained, Rangers’ raison d’aitre.
They know that no matter how many Scottish league titles they “won”, they are all trumped by that one afternoon in Lisbon in 1967.
Rangers are where they are now because equalling Celtic’s feat became an all-consuming obsession.
Rangers’ demise has been a long time coming. They consumed themselves in pursuit of the Holy Grail of matching Celtic’s achievement of becoming Champions of Europe.
For Rangers, it’s cold in Jock Stein’s shadow.
An anagram of
Employment Benefit Trust
Mutton Beef Respelt Minty
Vogue
Happy Birthday
HAil HAil
Guy calling himself “Bad Social Worker” has put a case across for the law of equivalence when they get stripped of titles:
“Don’t understand how this can possibly be considered as a punishment. Where do you stop in terms of spending? Can titles be stripped for other non football related things like child abuse? Surely a fine is the only possible punishment if we are found guilty?”
I might be wrong but I cannot see the SFA accepting that as a reasonable legal argument.
Sixteen Roads to Golgotha
As someones moniker on here once opined “One Star Means More”!
Billy Liar!
http://soundcloud.com/celticresearch/ebt-dodds/s-ItEEn
BMCUWP, cheers,case of Peroni p#sh in office nex to me ,I can hear it whisper softly.
Awe Naw Thanks for never slaggin me :O)
St. Martins Bhoy nailed the issue on page 1. Expulsion is the only punishment that fits the magnitude of their crimes.
Mr Doncaster – the ball is in your court. Expel the cheats!!!
my comments about double contracts seem to have annoyed people but I am only telling you what I have been told. These are football’s version of cash in hand. Does this not go on every day of the week? And would you turn it down? Rangers have just been totally stupid and been caught.
Joanna Lumleys Fenian Army:)
On another note I am pleased to announce that I will soon be launching a takeover bid for Celtic PLC. As part of my consortium I have on board one Hassanal Bolkiah, or as he’s more commonly known, the Sultan of Brunei. Together we are going to acquire Dermots shares and push Celtic into another galaxy.
HH
WONKYRADAR
Not a subject I wish to mention,but Celtic Boy’s lub were NOT a Celtic FC organisation.
They were affiliated to the club in the same way that,say,a supporters’ club is.
I would love to park a lorry full of lambs outside the offices of the Daily Ranger,and release them onto the street.
Also it would be great to drive a tanker full of cheap French red wine up to their offices and saturate the entire place with the cheap vino.
GIRUY Jabba.
wonkyradar on 24 May, 2012 at 11:41 said
I just love how time and time again they fail to see that the financial misdeeds led to them fielding players they should not, and could not have afforded otherwise.
In their eyes they would have had the same players, it just would have resulted in biggers losses..
Really Scottish football should be thanking them for managing to stay in business for so long.
So……Thug F.C. has cheated for yonks…now EVERYBODY knows….okay,that’s that….NewCo in,pure as the driven snow…..we’ll sign uber-thug Black straight off….sanctions?ignore them….we do what we like…this is Scotland and we rule it with an iron fist,we arra peepul….once this has been shovelled into the dunny we can get back tae slaggin’ Timmy,get a bit of payback,know what I mean?
And by the way,wee Sammy’s gettin’ it the night.
Most of Rankers supporters have the above attitude. They will NEVER show the slightest contrition,remorse or shame. They revel in their arrogance.
And they KNOW they have the authorities to back them ALL the way.
That is the reality of der hun. Do what I did….leave it to them and go somewhere where no one gives a toss who or what you believe in.
lub=Club
wonkyradar on 24 May, 2012 at 11:41
That’s the huns for you. No need to post that on cqn.
Bobby I was hoping that that post would be ignored.
savo01 on 24 May, 2012 at 11:44 said:
I’ve done cash in hand work but never for my contracted employer. You see that’s the difference.
Well – what a programme! I didn’t want to get too over excited about it fearing it would be much ado about what we already know but it really did the business.
If there is no statement from the SFA or SPL today, Celtic should release a statement clarifying our use of the Juninho EBT fully (as we are mentioned in the EBT Q&A online) and noting our concerns on the details presented in the Mark Daly doc, their implications for Scottish Football and urging the SFA to commission a fully independent inquiry to get to the truth behind the matter.
I think it’s important we nip in the bud any aspertions cast (by a more than willing media) on our dealings with Juninho and I am quite confident that we have nothing to hide.
HH
Tombola
voguepunter on 24 May, 2012 at 11:43 said:
Happy Birthday VP, may you have many many more days like this..
Starry
VOGUEPUNTER 1143
Nice one,mate.
As it’s your birthday,I’m not even gonna be disrespectful to your tipple of choice.
Except to suggest that the case might be made from soft chamois leather in a fetching shade of pink?
ENJOY………
DBBIA @ 11 22 —
” The game WAS rigged in favour of Juve ”
Not just the game — also ——-
The appointment of Referees .
The monitoring /assessment of Referee performance ..
TV / Radio / Newspaper reporting re Juve games..
TV highlights were rigged / doctored etc.
The transfer market was rigged. etc etc .
At other times in history , Italian fitba was rigged for Inter and AC Milan..
” 80 % of the games in Italy are fixed ”
Luciano Gaucchi .
Every Italian football scandal since 1950 has resulted in swathes of Italian football fans abandoning football.
.
Wait till a couple of clubs in Europe who have already approached UEFA get their teeth into this.
There is no way they will keep their license to play.
South Of Tunis:
That might explain why their rugby team is progressing up the ranks so quickly.
KITALBA 1147
You are correct,I was wrong.
Genuinely apologise.
Wait and see’ is ICT message on newco Gers
CALEY Thistle chairman Kenny Cameron refused to be drawn into the national debate on possible sanctions for crisis club Rangers.
Kilmarnock’s Michael Johnston is the latest club chief to warn against a new company or “newco” Rangers being hammered by sanctions next season.
Prospective Gers owner Charles Green is waiting in the wings to take the helm of the Ibrox club and he’ll push for a newco if a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) is rejected.
Opinions are split throughout the country over the level of punishment that should handed out to the Glasgow giants if they are allowed to – as expected – remain in Scotland’s Clydesdale Bank SPL.
Killie’s Johnston believes that next week’s vote on proposals for sanctions on newcos and increased penalties will be deferred for a third time and he’s reckons “blameless” Green could be driven away from rescuing Rangers, which is in administration.
Rangers were deducted 10 points last term for plunging into administration plus they won’t compete in European competition next year as a result.
They suffered another blow last week when a Scottish Football Association appeal panel upheld a 12-month transfer embargo imposed as a sanction for their failure to pay £13m in tax during the last 12 months.
ICT chief Cameron hopes there is not a further delay on the vote and stressed that only after the discussions take place in Glasgow on Wednesday will he be able to discuss the possility of a newco’s impact.
He said: “I would like to think that a vote would take place so we can put these issues behind us and move on. The only way to cease all the speculation and conjecture regarding football in Scotland is for us to get this matter cleared up once and for all.
“What we need is a degree of certainty so we can all move forward on a positive footing and look forward to next season and all the excitement that this will bring especially for us at Caley Thistle with the re-introduction of the Highland derbies with Ross County now following in our footsteps with their promotion to the SPL.
“At this time, as far as we are aware, Rangers FC are in administration and we are being told that they hope to exit via a CVA. If this were the case, then the punishment they have already received from the SPL, a 10-point deduction last season, is in line with sanctions put in place for the likes of Gretna previously and would be the only sanctions available to the SPL at this time. With regard to any discussions on a newco, this is purely hypothetical.”
Cameron hinted, however, that any sanctions should be fair and in line with other clubs who have racked up debts within Scottish football.
He added: Although the resolutions regarding sanctions and the like have been tabled, we await the debate which will undoubtedly take place next week prior to making our minds up on how we will vote.
“There is much still to discuss – for instance are all clubs that go in to administration to be dealt with in the same manner irrespective of the circumstances. If it were proven, for instance that club A went in to administration because club B failed to pay a football debt would both clubs A and B be dealt with in a similar manner or would there be differing degrees of guilt apportioned to club B as opposed to club A.
“There are many issues behind the resolutions still to discuss prior to any decisions being made, the devil is always in the detail so let’s get the details regarding implementation and possible interpretation of the rules discussed.”
Cameron is keen for the vote to happen next week, so that he and the rest of the SPL can positive plan for next term.
He said: “I hope next week brings certainty and closure to this issue. We just need to move on from where we are at this time. All clubs, ourselves included, have no doubt discussed next season’s budgets with their management teams on the information and revenue potentials we have at this time, so the sooner all the speculation stops the better.”
SoTunis – Is it any better these days?
For Jabba.
Good Morning from a Sunny Dublin
Do you think this guy might be a Rangers supporter
http://www.the-end.com/
The post was inappropriate in the least. Not for you to apologise to anybody though.
I expect Operation Separation will go into overdrive mode.
The party line has always been that it was individuals that were guilty,not the “Club”.
Deserved praise fo Paul x 2, Phil, AT, Mark and last,but not least, RTC.
St Martin’s Bhoy, thanks.
Awe Naw, thank you for your kind support, but I graciously decline.
Art of War, the work goes on.
The Bottom Line is, thank you.
67ECW, you can stop being paranoid anytime. I hope! Thanks.
Sixteen roads to Golgotha, cheers.
Pantaloon Duck, thank you.
Billy’s Bhoy, yes, reality will dawn soon.
Ni, the legals would have had a view on showing the side letters, which would needed to be redacted anyway. All that is important is that the BBC state they exist and they have copies and that no one has challenged this assertion.
They are therefore not in any doubt.
thomthethim, cheers.
One football club is guilty of years of cheating. This is the most serious offence possible and the punishment must be the most severe one possible.
Throw them out of Scottish football once and for all.
Hang the financial consequences. They should not matter. Integrity is at stake here.
Think we might be in trouble- some of the legal Eagles over at Rangers Media, with two in particular, SWALLY & PRODDY1690, who have us banged to rights concerning our Juninho EBT…why did we even bother taking on the Establishment Club?
I think we should just let them off with everything.
I’m gettin’ sick of this….after last night’s public airing of Thug F.C’s dirty laundry,it’s looking like it’s business as usual today.
Any other country in the world and they’d be FINISHED….immediately.
But,oh no,the best we get is trolls talkin’ about how WE are cheats.
Makes me utterly sick.
Can’t ANYBODY take up the reins and run this shower of disgusting cretins out of our game for good?