SFA president, Campbell Ogilvie, today issued a statement through the SFA website amid a growing clamour for action over the on-going controversy over the alleged improper registration of players at Rangers during the time he was company/general secretary and director.
It will be an enormous disappointment to the BBC journalist who gave him solid backing only yesterday, to hear the president admit that he benefited from the now-infamous Employee Benefit Trust (EBT) scheme, however, this will not be news to any of you. Without wanting to be cynical, this feels like we are being fed a completely irrelevant headline while the real matter at hand was yet again not addressed. Perhaps we should be grateful the gratuitous but irrelevant headline didn’t involve the Krankies.
Ogilvie completely refused to acknowledge or address the question of improper registration of players, instead referring to an incomplete list of his duties at Rangers.
The SPL split will happen in 25 days at which point fixtures will be arranged for the top and bottom six in the league. This issue has to be investigated, reported and perhaps appealed all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, before then. Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and St Mirren are currently battling for seventh place, if it was found that Rangers played improperly registered players this season, they could stand to lose enough points to demote them to the bottom half of the table.
The SFA cannot continue to sleep on the job. While Ogilvie’s position as president is important, he is a sideshow to enabling Scottish football to finish the season on time.
The SFA, the SPL, the game itself is in enormous crisis. Michel Platini, where are you? How bad does it need to get before you get involved?
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Green Brigade – League Cup Final
On Sunday the Green Brigade will have a full stand display to welcome the Bhoys to the pitch – hopefully spurring them on to the first trophy of the season.
We ask that all fans in the Celtic end participate and play your part in the display with the materials you will find on your seat when you arrive. The success of our tifos hinge on the participation of the full support and we’re grateful of the efforts and support with all previous efforts. We hope for the same again on Sunday and for another cracking fans display to add to the collection along with the trophy.
Bring yer chanting voices as well
UTLR
Green Brigade
Summa
lets give the GB all the support we can, lord knows thay have worked hard to give the team support for a few seasons now
and enjoy the first step of the treble they dont come around as often as we would like, oops lenny says we have nt top mention that yet, so we wont, eh well its just any old game then :-)
good luck to the celtic bloggers who are keeping their eyes on the huns, the sfa and media as they all try to help the huns out of their troubles
keep it up, its a joy. God Bless
Summa – I wish you & the GB, plus all the Bhoys & Ghirls at Hampden or watching on TV, a great day out & an entertaining win.
But mostly I wanted to say that for me, the GB is Player of the Season.
My visits to Paradise are limited these days & I watch most games from overseas, but whether there in my place in the Main Stand or watching via the telly, you Ghuys are phenomenal. What you do brings pleasure to so many, gives the team inspiration, & makes us all proud to be associated with the GB through our mutual support of Celtic. Thank You, Green Brigade.
Cue the Benny Hill music….
Published: 14th March 2012
RANGERS were plunged into fresh chaos last night as their cash crisis took a new twist.
A blunder by Duff and Phelps means the Ibrox club are NOT in administration.
Gers owner Craig Whyte appointed Duff and Phelps on February 14, but they failed to notify the Financial Services Authority, which means administration isn’t legally binding.
Bean counter Paul Clark groaned: “I don’t know how it wasn’t picked up on. I don’t even know the precise state we’re in. My belief is we are still in administration.”
A hearing has been scheduled for the Court of Session on Monday to settle the issue.
It also means the SPL could have docked Rangers ten points when they weren’t officially in administration.
They may now get those points back — then see them taken away again after the hearing.
An SPL source said: “It sounds like this has been brought about because of a technicality.
“But it also sounds like no one is disputing they are going through an insolvency process. So all the usual sanctions apply.
“On the basis of all the information we have, the Court of Session have appointed Duff and Phelps as administrators.
“It would be unlikely the ten points were given back, but who knows what might happen.”
Clark added: “Even if the points were given back and taken off again, it would be completely nonsensical to do so.
“If this had happened in England you would go in front of a judge and it would be dealt with in five minutes.
“In Scotland we have to go through the courts, but it really is just a procedural issue and we don’t expect there to be any fuss.
“Even if we’re not in administration, our firm belief is that come Monday we will be again.”
Duff and Phelps have set tomorrow as the deadline for serious bidders to come forward, but that could now be shrouded in uncertainty.
The only reason the current squad agreed to savage pay cuts was to make the club more attractive to buyers.
A fresh court date has been set for next week, where the administration process should be back-dated to February 14.
Until the issue is settled David Whitehouse and Clark of Duff and Phelps will act as ‘joint interim managers’ of Rangers.
It has also emerged Duff and Phelps are set to challenge the creditor status of finance firm Ticketus.
A two-day hearing is set to get under way at the Court of Session on Thursday.
Whyte mortgaged £24million of future season ticket sales to Ticketus.
The finance firm has since been named as a partner in the Blue Knights consortium keen to take over the club.
SunSport revealed yesterday that New York-based American investment bank Fortress are also eyeing a bid.
But Sale Sharks tycoon Brian Kennedy fears owning Rangers would be as stressful as being Prime Minister.
The Scot, a close pal of ex-Ibrox boss Graeme Souness, is poised to bid for the club, but will only take control if no one else steps up.
He said: “I don’t really want to buy the club, but I don’t want to see Rangers die.
“I’ve said from the start if the administrators view my offer as the best one for the club, I’m happy to take it on.
“But I’ll be equally happy if someone else can take it on.
“That’s the thing that makes me reluctant. It always ends in tears.
It’s like being the Prime Minister.”
Good morning fellow Cellts from the 16.01 to Waterloo…it’s cauld today
Off to Downpatrick via Belfast on Friday for 3 nights…Paddy’s Day, cup final…
My poor boady :)
HH
M
.
Celtinental..
Very well Said..
Summa
am Neil Lennon – LTPS on 14 March, 2012 at 19:55 said:
Paul67 (et al).
Would a loan to a player from an EBT (charging the player a commercial rate of interest) constitute a “payment” under the Scottish Football rules?
Apologies if this has already been addressed elsewhere / already.
Arguably it only becomes a payment if it is waived? What happens if that is after the player has retired?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry,folks-just catching up after a 12-hour shift.
Would this perhaps be an allusion to Mr Numan?
Asked to take a 50% cut and promptly retired instead,IIRC.
That would go some way to explaining an otherwise odd decision,IMO,as he still had a few years left in him
I sincerely hope it is,as I still remember him getting Lubo sent off when we humped them in the LC semi in 2001.
Ach bliddy phone…not me :)
06:01 to Waterloo…
Top of the morning to you all from a mild and pleasant morning in the Kingdom of Fife.
There is a good letter in the Scotsman this morning from Dennis Canavan the ex-MP/MSP entitled Bad Smell. Dennis is the only politician that I know of who has raised the question of anti-Irish/RC prejudice in the parliament. A good guy comments on a bad guy thus:
Bad smell
Published on Thursday 15 March 2012 00:00
No WONDER Sir David Murray was duped by Craig Whyte (Sport, 14 March). Whyte apparently passed “the sniff test” because, in Murray’s own words, “Meeting him, you know. He was Scottish, he wasn’t a foreigner…”
Nationality or race should not be relevant in deciding whether someone is a fit and proper person. The blatant prejudice underlying the “sniff test” is no substitute for due diligence.
Dennis Canavan
Sauchieburn
Bannockburn
P.S. Fair play to the Scotsman for publishing this.
P.P.S. I’l have to go I smell something burning. Toast? Or maybe it’s Campbell Ogilvie burning the EBT contract records?
Good morning friends and colleagues from East Kilbride where it’s another grey but dry morning.
Cup Final Day -3 and counting. I was lucky enough yesterday to get another couple of tickets for the final meaning that for the first time I’ll be there with all 3 of my mini-Baldies. Thrilled to bits at that thought. And my wife can have a very relaxing, quiet, undisturbed Mothers Day.
Jobo
Jobo
That’s not nice.
What about the rest of us who are not from East Kilbride?
Don’t we get a good morning?
MWD
MWD –
apologies for the misunderstanding. I know what I meant. However, a very special good morning to you and I hope you have an unbelievably fantastic day. And, if you do, mind to keep us posted…
Jobo
Jobo
Well it didn’t start off well and I don’t expect it to get any better.
Just a normal day.
Thank you for the personal touch and I do hope you were all inclusive with your twitter message this morning. I’m away to check.
MWD
On my usual quck scroll back I noticed the link provided by Sabre67 at 23:10 (on Page 11). More dynamite from good old Hugh Adams. A short article but well worth checking out.
OK, off to work now, enjoy your day everyone.
Jobo
GoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooD
Morning………………………………………………………………………..
C…………………………………………..
Q………………………………………
N……………………………………………….
Another glorious day in the Costa………………………..
1 day 2 Floridaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
BigJoeloving…..IT
Morning all from sun kissed Marbella,is,nt life grand? MWD maybe see you at Hampen on Sunday we are in the Bowling Club prematch I hope. Hail Hail Hebcelt
Morning fholks. Just in from a run. Getting bloody old.
Is there any reason why police officers have not been dispatched to take a statement from Hugh Adam? He appears to have information relating to large scale fraud committed over many years, if not decades (is it merely coincidence that EBT”s emerged contemporaneously with the beginning of Murray’s taking over at RFC?). These offences, if committed, are punishable by imprisonment. The police must become involved (preferably one of the forces from south of the border) before material is “lost”.
What fairytales of Kinights performing chivalrous acts await us today?
Tomorrow is ‘bid friday’. Of course we will hear no ‘official’ news because Duff and Duffer will tell us that bids have to be studied in depth and then mondays court appearance will slow it all down too!
However we will be treated tomorrow and saturday and sunday, in the build up to a Cup Final, to back page splashes about how exactly the Knights who say Ni are going to turn Rangers in to a stable and successful club with a front loaded war chest to take back from Timmy what they believe is theirs.
These stories will be written by the FollowFollowing:
Hans Not-so-Christian Anderson
both of the Brothers Grimm
Enid Blyton
J.K Rowling
Several independent writers from the ‘fantasy’ genre.
Ideas will be generated by the Blue Knights who say Ni focus group who will have been indulging in a ‘Blue Sky session’ with a big flip chart and lots of great ideas about the future of rangers.
Paul67
Following the latest,very clear,accusations made by Hugh Adam,he must be top of the SPL list of “People we need to interview” as part of their investigation.If they haven’t done so already that is.
Do you agree?
If so,is this something you would consider giving some prominence in a near future article?
Amid all the other revelations over the last few days,I was struck by the comment that SDM made that neither the SFA or SPL had contacted him re.EBTs/second contracts.
Given we are now 26 days after the seemingly much simpler investigation re. alleged sectarian singing charge following rfc’s game v. Kilmarnock and,apparently,no further forward, I am concerned the authorities spin their investigations out until they are overtaken by other events.
Best Regards
medtim
Good morning all CQNers.
It appears Scotland hasn’t the monopoly on idiots in high places in football administration.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/mar/14/dave-richards-fifa-uefa-stole-football
Bring on Sunday so we can bring some light back to Scottish football.
jobo MWD
think I need to get this twitter fing…
seems I ‘m missing out on stuff…. o))
Saltires.
been off the drink this week in preperation for the long weekend.. not workwise just bevvy wise…
Good morning all…….fog,thick as smoke here in sleepy Bournemouth.
Unusually for me at this time I am wide awake with concern over health worries;trying not to let paranoia rule. I have a CT scan next week & all I can do is wait.
I grew up in Glasgow at a time when everyone and their dog smoked everywhere,all the time. Now,it looks like all the fags are exacting their revenge.
I’m not depressed…far from it. I love life,my wife,my friends,my home.
I love The Bhoys & I’m glad I’ve lived long enough to see Ra gers go down in a firestorm of their own making.
Morning all from gay Paree, beautiful morning and we’re expecting 20C this afternoon!
Ah, the split , the split…
Knowing that rANGERs are charged by the SFA with “bringing the game into disrepute”, how do “penalties” work for Them?
I’ll rephrase that, because we all know how penalties work for Them….
I imagine that the SFA punishment for the serious fault of “bringing the game into disrepute” would mean a points deduction (no real point in imposing a fine unless you’re expecting Mr Custard to foot the bill).
A hefty points deduction imposed before the split, could see the mighty Gers tumble into the lower reaches of the SPL.
However, after the split the same points deduction might see them, erm, lodged firmly (and safely) in 6th position. No chance of relegation if your in the top six, n’est-ce pas?
So, the come back to the old rhetorical question, how do “penalties” work for Them?
miki67
Just give the wife an extra big hug every day leading up to that scan, and I guarantee you’ll come thru it no problem.
“bon courage”
twists n turns on 15 March, 2012 at 06:10 said:
It also means the SPL could have docked Rangers ten points when they weren’t officially in administration.
They may now get those points back — then see them taken away again after the hearing.
There lies the excuse SPL/SFA/Huns in Admin/Samond’s Army need to thwart us winning the league at poundland should they (and Motherwell) drop points this weekend.
miki67 on 15 March, 2012 at 08:02 said
Your comments re. smoking are spot on.
All we can do is try to dissuade the kids.
Orrabest,my fellow Tim.
Morning,
So the heavy hitters from the USA interested in rangers are a mob even Sheffield Wednesday and Tranmere would not entertain.
Lol!
Hector doesn’t do walking away…
Morning all from yet another dull grey day in North Ayrshire.
I don’t have legal training but would I be right in saying that, while Adam may be correct in his assertion that Ogilvie might not actually know what Murray was doing, Ogilvie is still responsible given his being a Board member and Company Secretary (at least in name)?
Hebcelt
I’m in Shawlands before game.
BT
The stuff your missing is unbelievable. If ur not a twit your a nobody.
MWD
sixtaeseven: No NewCo in SPL and it’s Non-Negotiable! on 15 March, 2012 at 08:03 said
Give them the points back.
It might stop that clown Craig Burley saying:
” I`m sure Neil Lennon would have preferred to win the S.P.L. off his own bat.”
as if he hadn`t.
Will Hector go to court today/tomorrow and request the removal of Duff & Duffer and the high court to appoint a (real) administrator?
Or will they allow the comedy show continue?
Talking of the Blue Knights has Smeto signed up yet?
miki67 on 15 March, 2012 at 08:02 said:
Smoked myself from age 12 for 22 years. Off them 19 yrs now. Awrabest fella.
At first they are all desperate to help the poor hun. Now Paul Murray and Kennedy are well ” not bothered really” if they get ownership or not
Good Grief
Predicting HMRC’s course of action remains open to debate
Richard Wilson
Sports writer.
For Paul Murray and any other potential buyers interested in Rangers, there are two significant considerations: what is the status of Craig Whyte, and what will Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs do?
Uncertainty still surrounds Ibrox . . .
The club’s administrators believe that Whyte is not a secured creditor, and that they can use a legal mechanism to take control of his shareholding. The role of HMRC cannot be marginalised.
There are two routes out of administration, and it is the tax man who will be critical in determining which is taken. Whyte may disagree with the administrator’s bullish statement that he is effectively an “irrelevance”, and Paul Clark of Duff & Phelps was even more certain last weekend that Whyte could not claim the secured creditor status which, in the event of a liquidation would put him first in line to receive proceeds from the sale of the club. In that case, HMRC are the dominant creditors.
To achieve a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), Rangers must offer a dividend that creditors holding 75% of the total debt agree to. HMRC are already owed £15m, which means that they in effect control the decision to grant or deny a CVA. It is this position that prompted Paul Murray to meet with HMRC officials in London last week.
Murray may now have an understanding of the Revenue’s position but, as one financial source says, “there is so much noise, it’s very difficult to predict what HMRC will do”. In England, the Revenue vote against CVAs for football clubs as a matter of policy, since they challenge the presence of the football creditor rule, established by the game’s authorities to ensure that all football debts are paid first. No such rule applies in Scotland, however.
HMRC will also have concerns about the way the club was controlled under Whyte, who failed to pay PAYE or VAT for nine months. If the administrators are right about their strategy for taking control of Whyte’s shareholding, or he agrees to pass it on for a small fee, then the buyer will effectively be funding the CVA, and Whyte will no longer be a consideration. The new owners would need to provide a credible business plan and robust corporate structure if HMRC are to believe that the business will grow and provide steady tax income in the years ahead.
The administrators also insist that the outcome of the first-tier tax tribunal into Rangers’ use of Employee Benefit Trusts between 2000 and 2010 will be factored into the CVA offer made to creditors. This essentially means that, rather than being a percentage of the £15m currently owed, HMRC will need to consider the CVA as a percentage of a bill that could include up to an additional £50m in taxes and penalties. Rejecting the CVA would lead to Rangers’ assets – Ibrox, Murray Park, the Albion car park and the staff – sold, to a newco club, and the proceeds used to pay as much debt as possible.
“The prime, probably only, objective of HMRC will be to recover the tax owed, whether that is via a CVA or by winding the club up,” says Andrew Trollope QC, who successfully defended Peter Storrie, the former Portsmouth chief executive, against charges of tax evasion. “Based on the Portsmouth case, HMRC seem to care little for history and tradition, rather their avowed policy appears to be that top clubs must pay their dues. Of course, HMRC won’t be the only creditor, although, as the largest, they will be calling the shots. But, it is very difficult for HMRC to justify any action which does not recoup the tax owing, particularly if it looks like deliberate non-payment as opposed to the inevitable result of incompetence/poor management.”
If HMRC are to pursue the outcome that generates the most money on taxpayers’ behalf, which is their purpose, then a CVA might be possible, if it’s pitched at a high enough level. The sale of assets in a liquidation typically has them sold at less than their normal value – it is a fire sale, in effect – but football stadiums, training grounds and football staff hold their value better than other conventional business assets because they are unique and, as would be likely in this case, will be bought by a newco version of the former club.
As well as the high-profile nature of Rangers’ administration, there have been attempts to make political influence count. Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister, has spoken to HMRC, but the Revenue considers itself a strong, independent Government department that makes its own decisions. Such interventions may not be considered welcome. “HMRC can choose to make a point ahead of commercial interests,” says the financial source.
If Rangers lose the big tax case, HMRC will also have to weigh up accepting a dividend on that debt, or being seen to further punish the organisation for what would amount to tax evasion.
Trollope adds: “HMRC will go for maximum recovery but, if the offer from the company is better than the likely proceeds of a sale of the assets in a liquidation, then it would be perverse not to accept it.”
The SFA/SPL are a corrupt organisation who ain’t fit for purpose.
Rangers F.C have fielded ineligible players and a massive PTS deduction before the split should see them demoted and what do these morons do, say they need to wait till the result of the taxcase.
Total joke and something needs to be done about this corrupt lot.
The Fighting Fund Group minutes tell us everything we need to know.
Best suggestion is to boycott away games, beamback to Ibrox and have a flute band on at half time.
This Club has to be sent to the wall at great velocity.