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.
947 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- »
Express, Kennedy article:
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/307966
Chico was a wannabe clown, but the only thing the big fat ringmaster would let him do was shovel the elephants’ sh1t. After 30 years chico retired, at his presentation the host asked: ‘Did you not want to do something else with your life?’
Chico indignantly replied ‘….what?! and leave showbusiness??!!!’
Hi Fellow Celtic Fans,
I posted this on to Alex Thomson’s (Channel4) Blog, but I don’t know if it will appear or not. I thought my thoughts were worth repeating here, though some may find them controversial:
Hi Alex,
I hope you really pursue this story to the end, because huge as it is this story is much much more than just about the highly possible demise of Glasgow Rangers Football Club. You will find that this story is just like peeling an onion; layer upon layer of obfuscation, and all the time your eyes are watering… The real story here is about what Alex Salmond refers to as ‘the fabric of Scotland’, and a very poor fabric it is. The real story here is not just about institutionalised corruption supportive of a select club of ‘people’, it is also about extreme religious intolerance (from ‘people’ who clearly aren’t religious), hatred of anything Catholic and/or Irish, it is about blind ingrained hatred and violence as an ‘acceptable’ way of life, it is about how the self-serving non-inclusive ‘fabric’ of Scotland is rotten and corrupt to its very core. I see this story as being like the fall of the Berlin Wall in miniature. Until it happens, ‘people’ won’t believe it can or will happen. When it does happen there will be bedlam and violence initially in Scotland, but ultimately in years to come, perhaps a generation or so, Scotland will be a better place for having had to confront its secret sordid past and having to amend its ways. If it doesn’t, Scotland will become a Third World Country and England will demand Independence from its sordid neighbour! This is the real story Alex; will Scotland grow up and change its ‘fabric’ for a new one, or will it continue to wear the same rotten rag that it currently does?
Yours in Celtic,
TB&F.
We need to keep the pressure on with Ch4 now looking into the story we have a nationwide audience. This is on a par with the demise of RBS in this little hamlet called Scotland there is banking and football all run by the brotherhood and in the past 4years they f####d up the banking, but to me how they have destroyed football in this country over the last few decades is a national disgrace. Keep digging
Laird of Smiles…,
that cant be, the best brains in scottish journalism have already investigated all the allegations and found nothing
hehehehehehehe stupid huns
Truth_Beauty_and_Freedom on 13 March, 2012 at 23:56 said:
Fabric which smells like a skunk’s underpants!
not long till 19th march
jelly sorted,ice cream sorted,clown outfit,Compassionate leave sorted, well I did know them although not fondly,,this is an expensive time when you have 3 children.
Pala
Keevins canny handle it anymore!!
Someone just posted on pie and bovril that the IBAN number for international transactions on the orcs clown advert is also wrong as it’s missing an ‘R’ from the ‘RBOS’ trailer at the end of the first part:
GB90BOS83202200741694
should be
GB90RBOS83202200741694
Try them yourself
Stupid huns.
“I was primarily duped,” said Murray. “My advisers were duped, the bank was duped, the shareholders were duped. We’ve all been duped.”
Really minty? You think we’re all stupid?
Looks like you’ve duped them all.
Away from the big show at the big hoose for a moment.Anyone got a striker (within reason) they’d like us to sign for next season?My choice would be van Wolfswinkel though even he may be beyond our reach.Any others you bhoys and ghirls can think of?Would love big Llorente but that’s me fantasising.
“Also I think it makes the game less competitive. I don’t think the TV deal would be honoured. I think it would affect other clubs.
“Then on top of that there’s the hidden amount of money people spend going to games. That’s VAT-able too.
“So if you’re not a Rangers fan it’s understandable. But I don’t think it would help whatever other club fans support in the long term.”
Minty bringing it home! what a clown!!!!!!
Jardine says none of the fans money will go to C W. Have you checked your own bank account lately Sanny????
Whiff ma big cray-on I drawed a picture of ra big house. Ma daddy said the big house must stay open: That is ra bottom line. That is what he says. So we went on ra big bus with ra big wheels and ra little driver man to ra big house. Rat is when ah drawed ra big house wif ma daddy in front wif his baseball cap and his big sticks and all his
friends wif their bottles of wine. Ma daddy always sits watching dvds and eatin cheesy wotsits wif his rangers top on. He drinks his bottle again then he shouts the kafflicks will not take our nine in a row and : the big house must stay open then he hits my dog nacho wiff his big metal stick…
They’re all doing their best to keep the’patient’ alive…….. the lengths they are going to is indicative of the perilous state they know they are in, and I don’t mean rankers only….SFA /LL …..all of them…..6th April is a date for the calendar….!!!!!!!
Is it possible that the 10 clubs have already agreed with Murray that they will be allowed back into the SPL if they vote for home game money to be split 50/50 …..rankers would agree to ANYTHING just to stay in the SPL…and are in the process of keeping them alive with the donations / charity.
Are they all really THAT stupid ….?….this goes beyond ‘clutching at straws’
Integrity is ‘out of the widow’ …….it is going to be fascinating watching all this develop into a ‘domino’ run…….
BUT, AT LEAST WE KNOW WHO OUR FRIENDS ARE NOW………
“We ourselves’ springs to mind…
We really do need to now start discussing our counter-strategy for next season, in areas such as the ‘funding’ of season tickets…the gloves may need to come off….we may have to fight for our very future here….!!!
Bring them on……………the lot of them…..they are ROTTEN to the core
wonkyradar.
Enjoyed ratt!!!!
So Chick, to sum up, RCO knew and knows nothing about EBTs from his time at RFCIA or the SFA, and even if he did they are not illegal, and if they are illegal, then it was Murray and his henchmen who are responsible.
Sounds like the thieves have started to fall out. Murray briefs his tame MSM and RCO briefs wee Chick, who implicates Murray in any shady stuff with EBTs. A clear attempt to save the integrity and position of RCO at the SFA.
We all know that this gibberish from Young is a direct response to Thomson’s tweets and blogs about the issue, yet Spence is happy to collude in the charade that it is actually news and worth airtime.
As someone else said, RFCIA, the gift that keeps on giving.
HH
Scottish Media Book Club
If alex thompson needs help with his digging regards the sfa and thems , then we should be bombarding the guy with what IS going on . . This must be taken out of this stinking country .
jimtim
Notwithstanding my previous post, if the SFA etc investigation(s) return the (only possible) just verdict, confidence in Scottish Football will be restored going forward…..(.I only hope the SFA didn’t ‘turn a blind eye’ to what was going on over the past 20 years….if they did, then there’s no way back, I’m afraid) ..
I would also suggest the 10 clubs invite Celtic to their meeting or…… see you in court….!!!!!!!
night all.
Hi Ghuys, Salve salve; So Disco Dave says he was duped eh?
Well His successor ,Alaister Johnston, he of the no surrender moniker stated quite plainly that LBG were going to remove all lines of credit to rangers fc (IA)from 5 pm that night if Disco Dave did not do the deal with Whitey Whitety. LBG got rid of their £18 mill debt to rangers fc (IA). I think the only ones being duped here are the usual Laptop Lackeys.
Greenwells
Conlige suspectos semper habitos.
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on 13 March, 2012 at 23:48 said:
Macjay
Who told you that??
His wife.
So… Minty resurfaces with his wee secret meeting wae his wee hurtin lapdogs and gives it the big “hey guys, i made such a mistake selling the club to whytey”. “Big bad whytey! Ruining our great club”. Oh ye minty, like he was so convincing with his 50 quid suit and mammys haircut.
And what about you ruining the club? Making it unsellable with your EBTs and your 2 contracts??
“Doesn’t pass the sniff test” … whit?? You mean you can’t smell bullsh*t??
“Would never have sold it to him for a quid if i knew he would do the ticketus deal”
REALLY MINTY????
Now that sort of deal has all the hallmarks of a minty special. Like a JJB deal perhaps??
Who knows? All i know is that every day has more comedy gold emanating from ibrox than a Dads Army weekend on Dave and only divine intervention can save them now or some serious goat worrying!
How pathetic does Murray sound in these articles?
The dictatorial control freak whose ego was only exceeded by his arrogance, now claims that he was dazzled by the charm and mental acuity of the only man who was willing to buy the white elephant RFCIA from him; a club that he had been vainly trying to sell for 4 years. He couldn’t wait to get out.
The truth is that Murray actually saw Whyte as the dupe in their dealings. Everyone else who showed an interest in buying the club who took one look at the books during due diligence quickly changed their minds.
Keep it up Paul, Alex, Phil, RTC, TBB, Auldhied.
Oh and OG Rafferty, you are the biggest tease on CQN!
HH
RWE CSC
row z \o/ (O) whatever part of my club is dependent on rangers I am willing to lose! on 13
Cheers. I’m not looking for what drives them although I agree with your analysis. I am wondering why I see admission of wrongdoing and reparation as being a way out of their situation over time and they seem incapable of grasping the concept of being wrong yet forgiven if they are contrite about it.
My point is that if ever community reconcilaition were to be possible, without the recognition of wrongdoing by the major perpretator then the process cannot even get off the ground.
It is like trying to sell a charity flag to the merchant banker in the Monty Python sketch.
Am I being the thicko here?
OR
the gazzilions of bears around the word
Last week – PLAYERS TAKE MASSIVE PAY CUT TO SAVE JOBS
This week – RFC(IA) FIGHTING FUND….GIVE US YOUR MONEY AND SAVE JOBS.
I wonder if monday will be a day of hearing about a certain tax case?
minty gathers the clan today for a media deflection of me conference with the chosen ones, now they people involved in the case get to hear 5 days before it is
announced, now excluding saturday and sunday then monday is five working days
mmmmmmm could it be?
This blog always entertains and educates.The detail,scope and quality of writing CQNers get to enjoy daily is a pleasure.This past week or so the standard has reached new levels of excellence,with TBB’s piece surely being the pinnacle.I would like to take this opportunity to thank the gifted wordsmiths and encourage more of the same please.So to TBB,Paul67 and the rest,salute.And keep it coming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfUSZVIWhxA&feature=related
FOREVERANDEVER!!!
RalphWaldoEllison, 00:46
The problem is that we are still at a stage where things are being gathered together to be firmed up. What I know, in person, to be true is but a small (but key) piece of the overall picture which even then needs to be able stand up so it can take us to the next stage.
What I can say for certain is that a good start has been made and the will is there to carry it on
Interesting to see there is now a push for Stuart McCall to be manager of the year. Does it hurt them THAT bad?
Just so we don’t forget how funny this farcical scandal has become.
http://enematic.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/tears-of-laughter-for-souvenirs-are-all-you-gave-me/
O.G.Rafferty on 14 March, 2012 at 01:15 said:
I know, and ironically, I was sort of teasing you anyway.
Trying to provoke the teaser by teasing him.
Mea culpa and I will stand in the corner.
Some people would be happy to be called The biggest tease.
Seriously, good luck in all you do and it will be good to see things happen.
HH
The huns EBT scheme was probably the SFA’s idea. I suspect that it wasn’t just players that were paid in this manner. Maybe the SFA also needs to be investigated. They’re all huns.
poster on kds owns the paypal address were their funds are going he just posted lists of pledges, lol
or should i say payments
Whats all this about
http://www.epltalk.com/fox-soccer-plus-wins-us-tv-rights-to-scottish-premier-league-40123
.
If Your Happy And You Know it Clap Your Hands..
Summa