SFA chief executive, Stewart Regan, clearly sees opportunity among the carnage that is Scottish football at the moment as he leaked plans to ambush clubs into a radical overhaul of the league structures to the media yesterday.
Henry McLeish made several recommendations in his paper on the future of our game, one of which was for a smaller professional setup of two leagues (SPL 1 and SPL 2), sitting on top of a grass-roots pyramid of community based clubs, as well as a 10-team top division. I agreed with both recommendations but relegation-dodgers in the SPL refused to countenance such a deal.
While it seems a 10-club top division is as far away as ever, the SFA are keen to push through a SPL 2 proposal before the start of the new season, something which borders on ultra-ambitious.
An unattributed SFA source (surely Regan himself) briefed BBC’s Jim Spence on their plans but the language was curious:
“Someone has to take a lead and sort out the internal bickering and point scoring and also to ensure that the Rangers situation never happens again.
“We need to use the mood for change among supporters in the country to tackle the current inertia and do what is right for the game.
“Change has to be democratic, but the time for talking has passed. We need action now to save the game.
“The fans are demanding fundamental change. The Rangers situation has intensified the need for a resolution and, over the next few weeks, we will meet with the SPL and SFL to find a solution.”
In order to “ensure the Rangers situation never happens again”, why don’t the SFA start by ensuring former directors of Rangers, who participated in the controversial EBT scheme which precipitated the crisis, are removed from the SFA board?
The SFA president received loans from Rangers EBT which he did not repay despite the club going bust last week. There is a belief that those loans were never meant to be repaid and that many of Rangers EBT loans were accompanied by written confirmation that they were never to be repaid, making these ‘loans’ an illegal tax scam.
The SFA chief executive claimed to have investigated and cleared the president of any wrong-doing. No one else is aware of this investigation. There is a suspicion that all he did was listen to the president’s version of events, compounding an already dreadful situation for the SFA.
We would love to hear how Mr Ogilvie explained why he didn’t repay his loan.
Two weeks ago we spoke about the SFAs inadequate corporate governance on these matters. If only corporate governance was the extent of the problem, they appear quite shameless.
“Someone has to take the lead…. tackle the current inertia and do what is right for the game”.
Sack the clown before you start to preach to the rest of the game.
1,003 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- ...
- 27
- »
Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire on 17 June, 2012 at 14:39 said:
We’ll see but Celtic are in a good position to demand all of these things simply because of themselves these things are right, not because it suits Celtic.
What needs to happen immediately……
Regan sacking Ogilvie. Once that is done we can begin to move forward with a credible organisation driving change in our game.
SPL share to Dundee. Don’t even entertain newco, let them go begging to SFL.
Regan himself is also now “Heavily Conflicted” and must also as a consequence of his own ineptitude must be removed from post forthwith.
I’m putting myself forward to be the official historian of Sevco.
Three days in and nothing to write about – no trophies, no players and no league to play in – the book won’t be out this Christmas.
miki67
Give your kids a hug!
That should sort your mood!
Take care.
LOL
You gotta see Rodallega’s Wiki entry. ha ha ha.
aldersyde avenue on 17 June, 2012 at 15:22 said:
Aye you thought liquidation would not happen either. You put too much faith in the forces of darkness so you are in the right place for a rethink.
You might have missed the bit about Green preventing players leaving via court action. At this rate it will be Rangers Ladies fulfilling the fixtures of your prediction.
If I was an athlete preparing for the commonwealth games in 2014 I’d be pumping myself so full of illegal steroids i’d enter every track and field event available. I’d do this because it is plain to see that there is no sporting integrity and only impotent regulation. In Scotland “rules” and “dignity” exist only to be tarnished, tainted and ultimately torn apart as the governing bodies look limply on, scarcely able to look even dis-interested.
Implement the 11 team spl NOW !
How can any vote take place on Yorkshire Rangers FC (pending) or Phoenix EBT Rangers (also pending) or Billy, Mason and Boyne Rangers (you just know they are out there somewhere) when years and years of cheating remains unreolved ?
I see the maniacs on FF claiming our ST sales are down 10k. I thought we had sold about 45k so far. Any word from anywhere on actual numbers sold compared to last season?
PAUL67
OGILVIE MUST STAY!
He has done nothing wrong,and your constant criticism is becoming a bit wearing.
As told to me earlier on doon the boozer by a hun who still hisnae got his head round the fact that he disnae have a team to support anymore.
Keep up the good work,obviously………
Lennybhoy/NeilR,
Cheers, was sure I’d seen it and posted it previously.
it’s a great comfort to me in these times of uncertainty :oD
The Legend Johnny Doyle on 17 June, 2012 at 15:24 said:
Nope. Heavily restricted maybe, but not conflicted. Now that the impact of those restrictions is undermining the game to the point of no recovery, they will be lifted as what they are causing is worse than what they were trying to prevent. It is how life works.
and other thing. Ally is big on getting people’s names out into the public domain. Indeed he demands it.
’bout time then Ally that you stand up and name those players who have already agreed deals and are about to walk away to other clubs.Yes, walk away.
Come on Ally you know you want to. Name names. You are good at this stuff after all..
Auldheid – as ever I hope you are right and I am wrong. After watching Celtic since 1966 and seeing so many wrongs perpetrated against us and so many favours to them, I think I am entitled to be sceptical.
Help! The following seems pretty clear or am I missing something?
Sevco is not RFCIA (pending IL)
Euro exclusion for 3 seasons applies to Sevco as 3 years trading required for Euro license (not a penalty but a qualification requirement).
No Euro license means no SPL place.
It it just me but doesn’t that mean the only issue to be decided is in the hands of the SFL & SFA – which lower league will sevco play in? Even then there is actually no provision existing other than an application to to join SFL through acceptance into SFL3.
Please tell me if the above is just too simplistic and there are complexities of which I am not aware. (Other than the obvious one of ‘we are the peepul’)
On the money with the article but I think calling Ogilvie a clown is a bit much.
Buffoon would be more appropriate surely?
and where is Walter ?
Has he sat down with a proper journalist yet (not an “in the pocket one”), as demanded yesterday ? To be fair the 2 proper journalists in Scotland might be busy. But I’m sure either one would make the time.
Hugo Rodellga Martinez
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Could it be that Regan can’t sack ogilvie until the EBT scheme is declared illegal ?
Excellent article Paul. I wrote a similar blog yesterday on Mr Ogilvie.
http://blogbhoys.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/time-to-exclude-the-conflicted-president/
If the SFA are insisting on change, then Campbell Ogilvie cannot take any part in it. Stewart Regan has already said the man is ‘Highly conflicted’ so he’s knows within himself that a man like this cannot be allowed to oversee the biggest restructure in Scottish football history!!
MickC
Amazing end to the tennis final …unbelievable….but rules are rules
Paul. Strong stuff. Total fiasco at the minute. Regan is out of his depth and making a fool of himself. This whole league restructure thing serves 2 purposes. The commercial interests of Sky are protected and it ensures Sevco FC quickly progress to the Top Division. In your opinion will ogilvie survive this debacle?
Just realised this is my first post in about 4 years… Back to lurking and happy clapping :)
tennis finalist draws blood from one of the officials ………….kicking out in anger at a bad shot
Sevco cannot get a EUFA License as it does not have thee years of accounts. It needs such a license to play in the top division as the rules stand. The SFA cannot give it one – but UEFA could in exceptional circumstances.
Now could the SFA make a case that in the midst of league reconstruction there is a special reason to allow an exceltion, that Sevco is vital to the new process??
is this how you evade, avoid and laugh at the creditors in any administration ?
1 get a nice deal on the assets, and then look to sell by saying that you won’t sell, it really had not crossed your mind at all, but here is a list of our costs so far……………………
2 treble or quadruple your money by a quick sale to parties who really wanted the assets in the first place, but who did not want their subsequent, post purchase, heavy cash investment in that particular business to be caught by the creditors
Hope HMRC is on the ball.
NeilR on 17 June, 2012 at 15:02 said:
If it is not then he is an accessory to tax evasion, unless e.g. RFC provided him with a false P60 stating that tax had been paid which actually had not.
If the huns had done such a thing why did NOT one of the named shamed step forward Chamberlain like with a P60 in their hand.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-18148818
You know why and I know why. It was done on a wink and a nod and to keep your mouth shut. The fact that members of the SFA (CO WS McLeish etc) had EBT’s should be enough for Regan to “Clean house” and pronto. So it begs the question as Paul67 asks repeatedly. Why is CO still there?
I suspect more skeletons.
Question on 17 June, 2012 at 15:35:
“and where is Walter ?”
He’s must be running a wee bit late … again…
NeilR at 15:02
“…….. However, I would love Mr Ogilvie to explain why he felt it was acceptable to receive contractual payments tax-free via the EBT, and what efforts he made as a director to ensure that the EBT being run by RFC was properly administered and accounted for in the accounts that he signed off as company secretary.”
……..
Great post and final point above is a question that the Scottish Jurnos should be asking, why they are not asking is of course another question.
HH
Kayal33 on 17 June, 2012 at 14:39 said:
I agree with you that there is no leadership at all in SFA / SPL , as witnessed by their delaying tactics on holding meetings to make decisions recently ….. They either don’t know what they are doing, or they had been trying to protect the unprotectable…….he’ll mend them….
However, Celtic, and the other SPL clubs have adopted the correct strategy of monitoring progress……the SPL / SFA will be judged when the decision is taken on where team x will be playing their football, and, without a doubt, the HMRC / LIQUIDATORS will sort the barstewards out ……… LL, EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT………..you are all complicit in the downfall of your favoured club (non-club now) …….. Hope you enjoyed your succulent lamb, you pathetic little cretins…
Anyway, onward and upward GLASGOW CELTIC….
walter is in France on holiday.
Emdy think he’s in Lourdes?
Nalbandian disqualified at Queens tennis for injuring a line judge,by kicking an advertising board against him.
youcannotbeseriouscsc
Apparently the line judge has a bad cut on his leg.
Nalbandian should lose his prize money and be charged with assault.
Also ban him from Wimbledon!!!!
10 k organisers bought and paid for use of Albion car park near where Huns used to play, but they didn’t bother opening the place up.
Philbhoy,
Same should apply to football for bad tackles
Disqualified for breaking the rules…it’ll never catch on :-)
Philbhoy – It’s just the beginning! on 17 June, 2012 at 15:53:
“walter is in France on holiday.”
“Emdy think he’s in Lourdes?”
Maybe he’ll throw his watch in the spring to see if it can be mended.
¡ǝsoɥ ǝɥʇ ǝɯ ssɐd ‘sʞɔıʞ ʎןɟ ɥbnouǝ (o) /o\ z ʍoɹ on 17 June, 2012 at 15:08 said:
Auldheid
Cheers
So if everyone accepts that they cannot achieve the UEFA licence why the big stushie about their app to the SPL and sevco’s desire to pursue this?
————————————–
Because the SPL and MSM ignored/buried whatever the importance of club licensing and had it not been for the bampots (including myself) highlighting the key role licensing plays then entry to the SPL would have been taken as a licence had been granted.It was only when STV Grant followed up on the club licensing question from the bampots that it started to become mainstream and the CST letter and SFA reply raised general consciousness further.
I am not blind to the dark influences at play (why has the FTT not ruled before now for example?) but I see this is a football business issue and look at matters through that lens. There is no way the SFA would have pulled the plug before the administration fandango had danced and no way the SPL would do the same. Doncaster just last week was still in administartion speak – CVA my ass.
However that process has now completed and we are where most bampots expected. Somebody had to be thinking what happens next and the SFA statement Paul leads on reflects one of the scenarios a few bampots (including myself) thought a possibility – restructuring.
I now wonder if there is indeed any point of the SPL voting on a Newco application if the plan is no SPL and No SPL makes sense to me. It became a busted flush thanks to Mr Doncasters attempts to keep a berth open for Rangers. Serious misjudgement on his part and he will or should disappear with the SPL along with CO.
There can now be no doubt whatsover either that in Scotland there is a natural bias at play that must be recognised and countered, not just for those on the receiving end but for those with the bias, for in the long run it has damaged them as much if not more than those suffering from it.
That can only be done in the short term by much tighter regulations and policing of them as independenty as possible (and Regan has a record of this with the Disciplinary Process changes which Rangers have fallen foul of more than any club. When did that last happen?) which is why the further reforms that I was asking for last June on club licensing and refereeing
http://celticunderground.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=693:sfa-reform-one-down-three-to-go&catid=45:season-2010-2011&Itemid=80
have to be part of the package. Peter Lawwell in his position on the Professional Game Board is in a perfect position to pursue them along with Regan.
Neil….
Ban them from Wimbledon?
Only kidding!
I agree completely!