SFA counsel checkmate on Tonev

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When engaging in a civil case under Scots Law, where one witness’ testimony contradicts another, a sheriff will rule not just on what witnesses actually say, but on their demeanour, assertiveness, body language and other perceivable traits (I’m no lawyer but I’ve first-hand experience of this).

Alek Tonev’s SFA Appeal panel, faced with contradictory evidence, explained their decision on this basis, “Tonev gave his evidence in a guarded and hesitant manner”, whereas Shay Logan “gave his evidence in a careful and measured manner”.

Alek, Celtic, you and me are free to disagree with this verdict, or cite the fact that the player may have appeared hesitant because he was so uncomfortable speaking English, he attended with an interpreter (who was unused).  In these circumstances hesitancy appears normal, I can’t imagine speaking at a hearing conducted in French with anything but hesitancy, so to find against the player on this basis is blatantly incongruous, but that is a side point.

Celtic threatened to take the SFA to the Council of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).  My hunch is that before this Appeal was rejected, the SFA’s counsel confirmed that the panel were able to judge on matters of demeanour and manner.

CAS do not re-hear cases.  In this instance, they will only determine if the grounds on which the decision was made, and subsequent punishment, were within the rules of the governing body which conducted the appeal.  It is inconceivable that the SFA, who employed counsel, would return a verdict which they knew could be referred to CAS, if it broke one of their own rules.

Like you, I don’t have enough information to judge one way or the other on this one, so I’ll offer no view.  Don’t be stressed that our reputation will be damaged by the charge.  These incidents are so rare at Celtic they are headline news and recalled for decades (literally).  This is a good thing.

Will get round to the moves being put on the SFA on other matters shortly, lots to cover this week.

Got your CQN Annual yet?  Just over one week until Christmas!

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269 Comments

  1. 2 weeks to cover thumsels with the hesitant demeanour schtick…………..

     

    This was about convicting our Club not about battling scoddish racism.

     

     

    Enough is enough.

  2. Canny believe the amount of rain forrests that have been flattened to cover the – Logan v’s Tonev pish ?!?!?!?

     

     

    Ah mean, the world will continue to turn FFS.

     

     

    How about some reallity ?

     

     

    Logan’s a black Basturt – check

     

     

    Tonev’s a white Basturt – check

     

     

    KevJungle is a white Basturt – check

     

     

    Who cares ?

     

     

    Whit a load a P#SH!!!!

     

     

    Apologies to all the black and white Basturts who are offended.

     

     

    Al Jolson – CSC

  3. The Spirit of Arthur Lee

     

     

    21:33 on 16 December, 2014

     

     

    https://twitter.com/CelticScoop/status/544964653084708864/photo/1

     

     

    Hope this works

     

    ______________

     

    Belated Happy Birthday Mr Jester :)

     

    Anyway…..

     

    It’s the ‘boreds’ fault.

     

    I’ll tell ye why…

     

    The tentacles of – Dallas – have poisoned the waters at Uefa / Fifa.

     

    This has happened coz, Dallas should have been ‘sacked’ persona non grata from the game of football all together after his distributing of sectarian / racist e-mails at the SFA offices. Celtic should have set in motion some form of action to ‘ensure’ that Dallas would ‘never’ have anything to do with ‘any’ level of World Football. The financial heavyweights on the ‘bored’ should have employed the best Legal Eagle that money could by to ensure that Dallas was dust. Gross negligence was the ‘boreds’ response to this – open-goal – to carry out an exorcism of one Celtic FC’s most bitter foes – Hugh Dallas.

     

    But, the ‘savvy’ ‘bored must have been too busy counting all your money to be ersed carrying out executive duties. Now….you’ll pay for it.

     

    All of the above is – imho

     

    Hail Hail

  4. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    ROBERT88

     

     

    While they’re at it,they should remind the SFA about the ‘transfer fee’ for Smith and McCoist.

  5. Shay Logan is a really classy guy, you can see that from his tweets, a really classy guy who is in no way a Northern Gobshite and I’m sure his exemplary behaviour on and off the field will be held up to young footballers all over the world as to how a classy guy behaves..

     

     

    Shay we are not worthy..

     

     

    Has anyone seen Graham Spiers velvet cumberbund? He can’t wear his corduroy chaps unless he finds it? He’s off to big up Mike The Tim dontcha know…

     

     

    Scottish Football Association Corrupt to the Core…

  6. Rangers have been told to pay a £250,000 previously handed to the oldco for using EBT schemes.

     

     

    The SPFL has rules that the club should be liable for the fine handed to the oldco for the commission of EBTs.

     

     

    However, Rangers have announced they will appeal the decision by league bosses and that appeal will be “pursued vigorously”.

     

     

    The revelations were made by the Ibrox club in a statement by the board to the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday.

     

     

    It stated the SPFL intend to recover the oldco fine from Rangers by withholding broadcasting money and other cash due to the club.

     

     

    An appeal has been lodged by the Rangers board to the Scottish FA and the SPFL’s decision is currently on hold pending the result of the appeal.

     

     

    The statement to the stock exchange read: “The board of the SPFL has determined that Rangers Football Club Limited (the “Club”) is liable to pay the EBT Commission fine of £250,000 levied on RFC 2012 PLC (previously The Rangers Football Club plc) (in liquidation)

     

     

    “The SPFL has also decided that this sum will be recovered from the Club by the SPFL withholding broadcasting money and other sums due to the Club but which are paid in the first instance to the SPFL.

     

     

    “An appeal has been lodged with the Judicial Panel of the Scottish FA which has confirmed that the decision of the SPFL is suspended pending the outcome of the appeal subject to the SPFL’s right to object.

     

     

    “The Board is advised that the sum is not due to SPFL and the appeal will be pursued vigorously.”

  7. sunny calmachie on

    robert88

     

     

    I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that both Scottish cup semi finals last season were to be played at the asbestos dome for no charge,

     

    then the 250k fine would be admonished,

     

    As I said probably wrong, or I was talking to a conspiracy theorist when i was drunk.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  8. jessiejames1901 on

    Can I have a show of hands if you play by the rules.

     

     

    . . . . . . . mmmmmmmm

     

     

    Put your hand down you stupid stupid boy.

  9. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    STARRY PLOUGH

     

     

    I reckon he’s thick as well as indiscreet,and will let slip the truth eventually.

  10. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    SCULLYBHOY

     

     

    Oh dear. Someone at the top has got himself a pair of balls for Christmas.

     

     

    That will be another few jobs gone from the Ibrox backroom.

  11. !!Bada Bing!!

     

     

    21:41 on 16 December, 2014

     

     

    Russell to Bryson,goal Derby v Chelsea, 2 tims we could have had for less than a Pukki.

     

    ________________________________________________________________________

     

    Aye but….Pukki has a foreign agent!!!

     

    Right up ‘Pete the piss rippers’ street, eh?

     

    Hail Hail – Off oot this time, bye.

  12. My word,’you could compile a weighty tome out of all the bad press Celtic have had this season. I’m sure we all suspect that this will continue unabated until Judgement Day II for the zombies arrives, then you’ll be shocked if you stumble across a piece of Celtic news among all the finger pointing between all the spivs.

  13. Notice on Twitter that the exclusive in today’s Daily Record is that Billy Davies will be the new manager at the new club. 8/1 that was two weeks ago Bhoys…

     

     

    Shout for the CQN Annual – still time for Christmas in fact it will go in the post today with your choice of DVD.

     

     

    http://Www.cqnbookstore.com

  14. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    WINNING CAPTAINS

     

     

    Having lived in England for so long,he’ll probably be looking for temporary digs until he can find somewhere more permanent.

     

     

    I wonder who’ll put him up for a few weeks?

  15. twists n turns

     

     

    07:56 on 17 December, 2014

     

     

    ‘Rangers have been told to pay a £250,000 previously handed to the oldco for using EBT schemes.’

     

     

     

    ###

     

     

    And Dundee Utd have been ordered to pay £170,000 to Sevco.

     

     

    Why don’t the SPFL arrest that amount in Dundee Utd’s hands to stop it disappearing into a black hole in Govan?

     

     

    Or is that too straightforward?

  16. Horrid Henry

     

     

    Good post re stopping ticket sales for away games. Drastic measures required to counter the mindless attention seekers. The more publicity they get, the more they are encouraged to behave as they do. Stewards in Europe should use CCTV to root them out and throw them in the slammer. These morons do not remotely represent the average Celtic supporter.

  17. Going to CAS would be a pointless waste of time and money. The SFA would get a tick in the conforming to agreed rules and procedures box and CAS would state that a tribunal’ s interpretation of the inherent probabilities of a balance of probabilities case was not something that CAS could re interpret .

  18. twists n turns:

     

     

    That 250k fine being levied on the New Huns… was that not one of the agreed clauses in the plastic ‘five-way-agreement’ ?

  19. Things that may happen in the next few weeks/months.

     

     

    Sportsdirect will sponsor the league.

     

     

    Ashley will be allowed to buy more shares if it helps Sevco.

     

     

    Logan will make a clown of himself again and be proved to be an

     

    unrelieable witness but by then it will be too late.

     

     

    Paul Paton will get his ban for spitting rescinded.

     

     

    Leigh Griffith’s will get accused of racism before the season is done.

     

     

    Celtic will have at least one key player banned for a nonsense offence for the semi final.

     

     

    The press will ramp up the selling of our top players before the end of January.

     

     

    I’m looking forward to Christmas because Scottish fitba is just pi55ing me off at the minute. On the park it is fairly decent. Off it the knives are out for Celtic. More things change the more they stay the same.

     

     

    LB

  20. twists n turns:

     

     

    clauses 2.3, 2.4, 2.6, 2.7.3, 2.7.4.

     

     

    If you think there is any truth or credence in what the bold Charlotte previously publicly published regards the bendy-bendy ‘five-way-agreement’.

  21. Tom McLaughlin

     

     

    Not a slur at all. Any player who doesn;t like him much can make the accusation. Griffith’s has previous and won’t have a leg to stand on in front of the SFA.

     

     

    LB

  22. mighty tim supporting wee Oscar on

    Seems the pie man is avoiding the press this morning he just drove past the training ground turned then drove past again and parked in the spare ground at tennis club next door. Could it be he knows that he is getting shown the door today hhhmmm.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    KTF

     

     

    UTLR