When you have a potential loss to the tax payer of £75m, allegations of tax irregularities, political interference, alleged sporting malfeasance and stand of the brink of the largest corporate failure in Scottish history (discounting the bailed-out RBS) the profile of the story rises above the blogs and regular Scottish media.
Alex Thomson, chief correspondent for Channel 4 News, a man who reports from war zones, interviews prime ministers and presidents, decided to look into how the SFA were handling the current crisis in Scottish football. Yesterday he blogged on the subject, raising many of the questions we have asked in recent months.
On Twitter this morning he reported his experience in trying to get some sense out of the SFA, this is what he said:
“SFA say President Campbell Ogilvie is ‘distancing himself from the current Rangers investigation’ but did not explain how.
“Campbell Ogilvie ‘did not know’ about EBT contract when he was Rangers FC secretary?
“When we asked why not – that was his job – SFA said they didn’t know.
“SFA say their President and fmr Ranger secretary Campbell Ogilvie will not be interviewed by c4news about what he knew…
“SFA say their President Campbell Ogilvie ‘has no plans to stand aside from his job pending current Rangers probes…
“Interesting SFA have just accused me of ‘lying’, ‘pig-headedness’ and then put the phone down mid-conversation….
“all because I put their own statement back to them that Campbell Ogilvie denied knowing about EBTs at Rangers…
“And suggested there might be a perceived conflict of interest in his current position until the investigations are complete”
Three weeks ago we suggested that Ogilvie’s position as SFA president was untenable, saying “The association cannot have a president embroiled in a tax evasion scam which, even before a verdict has been decided, has already caused untold harm to his former club and the reputation Scottish football.”
The SFA have been able to dismiss pleas for sporting integrity and ethical standards from the blogsphere while the mainstream media have either chased the hapless fall-guy, Craig Whyte, or refused to take the Improper Registration of Rangers players seriously.
SFA chief executive, Stewart Regan, was flushed out his slumber by Mr Thomson’s comments this morning, Tweeting to the reporter, “Please could you confirm who you have spoken to. thank you.”
Stewart, if you really need to ask that question, you’re in more trouble than I thought. There are several thousand CQN’ers who could help answer that one.
Campbell Ogilvie and the SFA cannot hide from the facts of this crisis. He is president of the SFA and both he and the association must acknowledge there is work to do. We can only hope Uefa finally decide to take a look.
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Ard Macha
Thank you again. That particular day’s reflection is a genuine reminder of how simple things became so significant to those who took part in the prison protests.
.
Canamalar..VougePunter..
Ha..I Have Always Listened and Liked it..
But..
I Had to wait up till 5am to Hear it so was in a Dark Room..Listening to What l imagined Keevens and BFDJ to be Pantomime Characters..
I Worked in Media so Know it is Not all it Seems..So took what they and Callers say with a Pinch of Salt..and Could not See the why People Hated the Fools so Much..
Then While watching Celtic Vs Milan CL Last 16 at Parkhead..A Australian Pundit at Half Time said..”You would think Celtic would try at Least One attack Being at Home”..Guess What..I Have Despised Him Ever Since..
So Yes l get the Hatred..Cause l Did Not have to Listen to them Every Night..
I Miss BFDJ tho..He Would be Comedy Gold just Now..
BTW..for the Last 21 Days l have Listend to the SSB Podcast through my Speakers Every Afternoon when the Sun is Shining..
Summa
“When I’ve got nothing better to do, I look down the league table to see how Everton are getting along.”
Bill Shankly
Another beauty on the way bhoys.The sign writing Lenged is back. The photoshoot today with the begging huns Sally and Jardine standing over a sign asking for donations from “oversees”.Cant do the linky thing but will be doing the rounds soon.
hamiltontim on 13 March, 2012 at 19:06 said:
Re-reading your post a few times, it is hard to see it as anything other than bigoted.
Celtic has a huge number of Protestant (and catholic, and muslim, etc) fans, and the overwhelming majority of them are not anti-Catholic.
Scotland is (historically) a Protestant country (though now overwhelmingly un-religious), and with Catholics amounting to less than 20% of the population, and the Celtic support amounting (IMO) to considerably more than that (before you start to even think about overseas Tims….) then I would suspect that behind the Huns, we probably have the second biggest support in the country among Protestants. (If not – then pretty close to it).
You are making a statement that is at best erroneous, and at worst (as I said already) bigoted. Either way, it isn’t welcome.
Gr8 call on SSB!!!
Hail hail
You have to laugh at Shortbread….
Wee Chic does a piece on the Celtic and he still manages not to convince….
Anyone else think he hopes his much vaunted bet on our trebel……doesn’t pay out?
Aye, me too.
I did laugh at his lament for the hardship of the millionaire walking dead of Edmiston Way………he hasn’t yet been forced to admit that the club have done wrong and are being rightly punished. No, the perspective of this notorious Buddie fails to register that the peepil have been caught Red Handed and are suffering the consequences.
His choice of words around our Manager doesn’t sit easy either.
A… ah… ah… am no sure about that.
Hugh: blah dee blah dee blah, no answering that.
Funny….last night Keevins knew nish about the internet….tonight he knows all about Fakebook links,Twatter,hash tags etc.,.
He knows what he knows,when he wants to know it.
I’d like to think he trawls on here…then he’d know we all think he’s a pusillanimous,cretinous excuse for mediocrity. Mind you,he’d probably think that’s a compliment.
Guidis answer verbatim for those who missed it
“im not sure about that…erm….im really not sure about that”
TBB@5.17pm
Outstanding,brilliant,truthful,restrained and very,very funny,
God bless you.
Gr8 call on SSB,,,totally blanked by the panel,,whats the point of this show again????
Hail hail
huns fc- love the queen but wont pay her on 13 March, 2012 at 19:13 said:
-> I have been at a reserve game with no pies. To be honest, it was a bad day. Administration on the other hand, would appear to be overrated (and not really that serious) if we are to believe some people in the media.
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VougePunter..
Course Your forgiven..Even Sammi Converts are Forgiven..
The Most Famous (No Not Kojo..:O) Sammi Convert..is About to Win a UNPRECEDENTED Treble as a Player and a Manager..
Makes Sense tae Sammi..
Summa
I must admit that i harbour a great distrust andintolerance towards Orangeism. How can it possibly have a place in an open liberal democratic modern society? That is why tolerance can be a terrible evil: people tolerated Nazism in 30s Germany or anti-capitalist thinkers in McCarthy era America… it is very dangerous to tolerate the Orange Order in Scotland..
It is divisive and actively encourages separationism between people on so called religious grounds (for religion read sectarian). I definately believe as many others do that it can be aligned with the KKK in the southern states…and here we are tolerating it in 21st Century Scotland! Crazy!
It is just a drinking club for alkie bigots that gives them a platform to vomit out their venom, hate & xenophobia.
That we tolerate such an organization is the shame of Scotland.
Poor Chic has only made it worse………
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cci2YFJ3eU&feature=g-upl&context=G2b9da38AUAAAAAAAAAA
Affable caller Michael sets the cat amongst the pigeons with his final afterthought
“there’s a lot of outpouring and altruism about the jobs of staff who will lose their jobs if Rangers go bust and quite rightly but I don’t remember any altruism towards the workers laid off when Murray sold off Rangers merchandising outlets.” Cue Guidi “er er er er I’m not sure about that Michael er I’m just not sure about it.”
Keevins, “We’ll now have a break.”
I’ve seen it all now…..David Weir as pundit.
The Battered Bunnet on 13 March, 2012 at 17:16 said:
You are on a roll. Some of the answers to your questions affect income and expenditure and the file at the link below allows a figure to be put against what that effect might be. For example it stands at a break even point by default but a decrease of 1000 SBs puts the business in the red for every year.
Similarly an increase in the Ticketus repay or HMRC repay (which although very unlikely is catered for) puts the business in the red. The only way to get to break even if SB repays to Ticketus or HMRC repays rise above the illustrative figures, is for average player wages to drop. This effects crowd size which then requires further wage reduction and so on.
To be competitive and win titles it all points to a Div 3 start being exactly what will be good for Rangers, (low wages but winning titles) a fact Jim Traynor seems to have cottoned on to.
A Div3 start not only serves sporting integrity, it will be best for NewcoRangers in a business sense as well as offering an opportunity to start reclaiming their lost sense of dignity.
Maybe in time they will get some real dignity too.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq2m3ggkEX2RdDVtcjhQenY2U1pia19GWTJlTi1vSUE#gid=0
Dee-ell:
…whoosh whit a terrible terrible tackle…BUT, BUT…I like Keith Lasley. I think he is a very good player…
And we wonder why Scotland is pish at fitba!
Ard Macha
thank you.
All sorts of emotions envelop me when reading the diaries, it’s very strange. Sadness, pride, anger. I even laugh at some of the comment, which feels wrong to be honest, and admittedly, I’m laughing less as we move towards the inevitable. I wish the story could end differently, but we know how it concludes.
Thanks again.
What’s all the fuss about? According to BBC reporting Scotland, buyers are falling over themselves to buy R@ngers. Oh, and HMRC are being very naughty making up stories. Sir Minty has told them in no uncertain terms that EBT’s are quite legal and are practised by hunners of teams in the U.K. so it looks like this tax stuff is a lot of nonsense.
Well, if a knight of the realm says so, that’s good enough for me .
Personally, I think it’s a lot of sinister Timmy people trying to rip the very heart out of the fabric of Scottish society. And if Scotland’s first minister says so , that’s good enough for me too.
P.S.
I’m a bit sinistre masel’ (left handed)
re SDM – I’m surprised no-one asked that a club who used to be so adept at looking into potential player’s backgrounds could fail so miserably looking at the person who actually wanted to own it – or did he just ensure that he passed the only real criterion :)
David you know the deal we had when I went to the SFA?
Which one Campbell?
You know – if it ever came out that RFC are, I mean were, paying me via an EBT you would come out publicly and say it was all legal and above board – well now is the time, David – I need you to make a statement tomorrow
Well Campbell I’m sorry but I’m trying to keep a low profile at the moment
David that may be but remember why we made the deal in the first place?
Sorry Campbell not sure I can?
Well let me remind you – if it comes out that RFC were not declaring all the player’s payments to the SFA the 9IAR is no more
Campbell leave it with me – I will feed the lapdogs tomorrow – it been a long time
Mark Guidi the big tough guy,,,,
Hail hail
Chic Hun,”….taking EBT’s…”. Is that a new designer drug?
just seen that picture for the fighting fund on mankies site you just couldnt make it up, come on the keltic yootball llub
obonfanti1888 on 13 March, 2012 at 18:38:
EBTs are not illegal. I cannot explain correctly what they are but I have a knowledgeable friend who could. However, what is in dispute as I understand it is the abuse of them.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Lux celt
I would ask you to again re read my post please. This time keep in mind that the post refers to the creation of the Protestant church and not Protestant people themselves.
I am genuinely insulted and offended that you would refer to me as a bigot.
I am fully aware of the Catholic background of our clubs creation but also the inclusive nature that has been in evidence. From our first goalscorer to Stein to Dalgliesh.
That ethos is reflected in the diversity in our support. I celebrate it, it is what makes us special.
Peter sticking it to you guidi GIRFUY ya fat twat
Go Peter flanders I am ill equipt to answer where have I heard that before.
3 cut off now said it today he would be dying to cut hoops fans off.
HH
Call the police somebody asked a hard factual question.
These muppets have truly set themselves up!…..bouncy cheques a gogo methinks!
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/football-news/article/2657017
summa of sammi
But Supper Ally will still be sportwriters manager of the year.
I probably won’t be posting for the rest of the night as I’m about to watch Merseyside Derby.
I’m not going to get involved in any religious debate either other than to say I’m very proud of Celtic’s Protestant supporters and welcome thousands more Protestant Celtic supporters in the future. I’m also proud of our Catholic, Jewish and Muslim supporters as well and also of our atheist, gnostic and any other grouping I’ve failed to mention (I’m genuinely sorry for that). The most important thing is what we have in common – we support the greatest football club in world football – Celtic.
Hail! Hail!
I’ve just read Alex Thomson’s article. While it makes some moderately good points I greatly disliked the “old firm” set up – only asking the views of non “oldfirm” fans and thereby implying that we were in it with them. Exactly which other clubs were cheated out of the league by Rangers? Sure all clubs suffered, but why imply that Celtic didn’t or even that we were part of it. Seems even channel 4 has to ‘even thingsbup’
Ard Macha
I am a relatively new poster but have lurked for a few years and remember your posts from previous years. I should have said thank you before, they are both moving and harrowing at the same time.
HH
God…..i’ve had to be decontaminated after visiting Ragers site…I feel quite unwell…
hamiltontim
The very word itself, ‘protestant’ reflected their ‘anti Catholicism’.
I would go so far as to say that it is intrinsic in their make up
– You were referring to WonkyRadar’s post, where he was talking about Protestants (the people). So “their” in your case reads as “people who are Protestant.” and “their make up” reads as “the make up of Protestants.”
I accept your explanation – but seriously, it doesn’t read that way at all. I checked back on wonkyRadar’s post before posting myself, as I was pretty surprised when I first saw what you had written.