Graeme Souness today told a Daily Record reporter that he received his EBT LOAN from Rangers because:
“I was doing work for Rangers.
“I was in between jobs. I was going to scout for Glasgow Rangers at that time”.
Payment in return for “doing work” is what this whole business is all about. Payment for “doing work” is taxable. It cannot be remunerated via a non-repayable loan.
Mr Souness was manager of Blackburn Rovers from 14 March 2000 until 6 September 2004.
As Blackburn manager, he signed Tugay from Rangers on 17 May 2001. He requested £30,000 from the Rangers EBT scheme five weeks later.
“In between jobs” Really? These dates make that an interesting claim.
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GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 11TH APRIL 2016 3:48 P
Yep, very strange indeed.
MWD
You’re a choux in for a comedy award :-)
If my auld mind serves me well did Souness not receive £30000 by EBT when he was manager of Blackburn Rovers.Now he couldnt be the Manager of Blackburn Rovers and scouting for Rangers at the same time could he ? H.H.
I bet his was more than enuff furra
guid
night oooot……………
Aye.
!!Bada Bing!! on 11th April 2016 3:55 pm
They just pay the fines imposed by UEFA for showing the game. Loose change to them, and the money they make by showing it live far outweighs any slap on the wrist.
THECLUMPANY on 11TH APRIL 2016 3:38 PM
I don’t think the proposition that he was scouting is too far fetched. All managers will have a list of players they’ve seen, or that have been recommended that they’d like for their current club (or future one if they think a new job is imminent).
Souness’s ‘scouting’ may have been a single call from DM asking if there was anybody on his radar that might fit at Rangers. A wee handshake (DM’s favourite type of contract) on a kickback of future transfer fees and there you have it.
Maybe it’s the informality of it that made GS relatively happy to talk when others aren’t.
I suspect Souness has already settled with HMRC on his outstanding tax which is why he is now willing to answer questions.
pastry…,
the evidence produced by res12 was solid incontrovertible evidence provided as a result of being used as evidence in court by rangers.
Nothing circumstantial about it, you’ve been told this before but as usual ignore anything that does not support your agenda.
Gary67
Any idea how much the fine would be?
HAMILTONTIM@3:53 – Had you going there, and we all know why – because you actually thought it could be TRUE – based on the reputation and mischief-making the self-serving TRUSS.
Was Souness really taken aback or was the who;e thing staged? Something is not right about this.
JJ
Please remember, Mr Souness has had major heart surgery and you don’t want to get him too excited.
Noo calm doon boays.
Think MrClumpany might have nailed it, scouted for the hun prior to taking up the Blackburn job, I doubt he is stupid enough to think tims would not check out his words.
Mr Patsy
Aye, right ye are!
Never mind Souness, when are the fixtures being announced?
JJ
CANAMALAR@4:01 – We don’t definitively know ALL the background information and documentation on this subject within the SFA, Rangers and UEFA – therefore some have filled in the ‘blanks’ to satisfy their narrative – that is speculative and circumstantial.
Mr. P
“Had you going there, and we all know why – because you actually thought it could be TRUE – based on the reputation and mischief-making the self-serving TRUSS.”
Are you the same Mr. P who a few days ago boasted that he only dealt in facts and never got personal whilst calling on the club to unite?
Or do you have “help” to work the shifts but can’t be arsed to co-ordinate with each other?
CANAMALAR IT LOOKS LIKE OCD OBSESSION on 11TH APRIL 2016 4:04 PM
Think MrClumpany might have nailed it, scouted for the hun prior to taking up the Blackburn job, I doubt he is stupid enough to think tims would not check out his words.
======
Do you mean in the same way that Platini worked for FIFA and asked to get paid 10 years later during a FIFA election ?
First observation is that Souness looks old. He has lost something. A player and manager I hated due to his brutality and in human approach. He looks a fair distance from that man and I would say offers the questioner some compassion due to his age or maybe the stage management wasn’t very well managed.
The question and answer – it was only 30k ask the guy that received a couple of million… We all know Souness et al would have been glued to the TV watching Mark Daly expose the money and salaries taken out by team mates and colleagues. There’s no chance either the reporter or Souness not knowing it was Murray.
Don’t ask me about my tax avoidance what about the king pin?
The forensic debate and reporting on the tax affairs of the prime minister just aren’t comparable to some DR lackey being asked to give Souness a platform to dob in the King pin.
Murray is expendable collateral now that King has his hands on the tiller.
HT
that woould send him a bit Flaky, me getting that award. I sure Mr Pastry would feel a bit Short Crusted but he could pour some Hot Water to savoury the flavour a bit.
Hamiltontim on 11th April 2016 4:01 pm
Gary67
Any idea how much the fine would be?
Seem to remember that on a previous occasion they had 10% from their shared TV pot withheld, part that was for development, was around £1m. Earlier in the season Hull v Arsenal was shown live but they weren’t fined as they negotiated with UEFA to be allowed to show it. As usual with UEFA a complete farce and they are more likely to bend over for the ‘big’ countries.
Gary67 on 11th April 2016 11:09 am
Twitter rumour
PL leaving for Sunderland in the summer and DD giving his shares to his son.
*hopefully he’ll bring his wife tae games.
forgivenbutnotforgotten csc
Easier and more trouble-free to accept that it was paid for services rendered in ordinary course, and pay the tax on it should it come to that – £20K – than expose the possibility that it was paid as a kick back on the Tugay transfer.
These offshore Trust arrangements would be perfect to disguise such a transaction.
What skin off Souness’ (reconfigured) nose if, in bolting the door to a bigger story, he should happen to undermine the appeal to the Supreme Court? Rangers are being liquidated. No one’s actually going to have to pay up if HMRC wins, right?
Tontine Tim on 11th April 2016 4:14 pm
And sisters-in-law
South Of Tunis on 11th April 2016 11:35 am
Off oot to break rocks in the hot sun .
*my bother RIP who was a country fan FFS would come in fae a night oot and play that as well as “the eastern world it is exploding”.
pastry…,
Both the Res12 reps and the Plc, know definitively that the incontrovertible evidence used by rangers in court as defence against charges brought against them cannot be questioned.
You on the other hand depend on assumption and presumption with a mix of obfuscation and made up nonsense to support your agenda.
Wonder if he scouted Flo…..?
MWD
Nutter! :-)
Gary67
Thanks and I think you’re probably right regarding the big countries. I remember us having a 6pm KO in Perth a few seasons back because of their ‘policy’.
Great write up in today’s Irish star about young Tierney .
Travels with the wishaw emerald csc to games for years, great to see someone live the dream and appreciate it.
Would like to have seen izzy get a wee bit of game time, wee man loves the club and can be very good on his day.
Left midfield slot would also be worth a go with him..
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 11TH APRIL 2016 4:15 PM
Easier and more trouble-free to accept that it was paid for services rendered in ordinary course, and pay the tax on it should it come to that – £20K – than expose the possibility that it was paid as a kick back on the Tugay transfer.
These offshore Trust arrangements would be perfect to disguise such a transaction.
What skin off Souness’ (reconfigured) nose if, in bolting the door to a bigger story, he should happen to undermine the appeal to the Supreme Court? Rangers are being liquidated. No one’s actually going to have to pay up if HMRC wins, right?
——————————————————————-
The players involved will have to pay HMRC. Personal tax matter. HMRC will calculate what it should have been as PAYE and issue a notice. In fact, may already have issued APNs. That’s what’s happening to others who have had those kinds of arrangements.
Or am I picking you up wrong?
IKI,
similar but I expect Souness trusted Murray to pay up when he asked for it, I doubt very much he was skint and needed immediate payment.
TBB offers an intriguing question, any ideas on what could be bigger than a £30 odd million tax scam TBB ?
Sixty-three players and 24 staff are said to have received payouts.
Ex-skipper Barry Ferguson leads the list of players who received vast sums of cash over and above their normal salaries.
He pocketed £2.49million, according to figures obtained by BBC Scotland.
Former manager Alex McLeish got £1.7million and German keeper Stefan Klos was given £2million.
Striker Nacho Novo and Dutch midfielder Ronald De Boer netted £1.2million each.
But some of the sums involved were comparatively small. Former defender Steven Smith got just £7500.
And Ibrox icon Graeme Souness received £30,000 from the trust in 2001 – 10 years after leaving the club.
It’s unclear why a payment was made to Murray’s close friend Souness a decade after his involvement at Ibrox officially ended,
EBTs were used by the rich to avoid paying tax.
They are the root of HMRC’s Big Tax Case that helped plunge Rangers into crisis and is threatening to destroy the club’s 140-year history.
Rangers set up the trusts for 87 players and staff – then paid cash into them in addition to paying wages.
Money is then paid out in the form of a tax-free “loan” from the EBT. In practice, the loan is never repaid.
The recipients avoid paying the PAYE and National Insurance that millions of ordinary workers stump up at source.
From 2001-10, Rangers put £47million into dozens of sub-trusts for players, coaches and staff.
Dutch goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus’s agent questioned the scheme when he joined Rangers in 2005.
His agent was told by a club representative that using the trust was “in the interests of Ronald as it enables him to receive funds tax-free”. Murray last night insisted to the BBC that he had never received any payment from any trust which involved direct contributions from Rangers.
Rangers’ annual accounts from 2001 to 2010 show the Glasgow club invested a total of £47.659million to the Murray Group Remuneration Trust.
Separate contributions were made by Rangers’ parent company, Murray International Holdings, of at least £10million.
Funds were deposited by Rangers and MIH into the Jersey-based trust, which was then divided into sub-trusts for the benefit of players, coaching staff, directors and other employees in the form of the tax-free loans.
A further 24 Murray Group employees benefited from the scheme, currently the subject of a tax tribunal at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
If Rangers lose the tribunal, they will be liable to repay the money, with interest, as well as a penalty for tax avoidance.
The total bill including penalties could hit £134million, according to administrators now running Rangers.
Tax adviser Paul Baxendale-Walker, who brought the EBT scheme to the Murray Group, told the BBC: “The problem as we all know is how Rangers implemented the structure, how they drove the bus.”
The SPL launched an investigation into the scheme back in March after allegations by former Ibrox director Hugh Adam that Rangers made undisclosed payments and deliberately excluded then from players’ contracts.
Adam, who left Rangers in 2002, said directors were well aware of the double contracts, but were unwilling to challenge Murray.
SPL rules state that all payments made to players in respect of their earnings from football must be declared by their club.
SPL lawyers Harper Macleod are looking into dealings back to the league’s formation in 1998.
In a statement released hours before the BBC’s expose last night, the SPL said: “The investigation into the EBT payments made by Rangers FC is being actively pursued on behalf of the SPL.
“All relevant documents, materials and information have been sought from Rangers FC and we look forward to receiving full co-operation from the club and administrators in providing everything that it and they have access to and which is required for the investigation to be completed.”
Murray has denied he handed out double contracts during his 23-year spell at Ibrox.
He said: “I’ve looked through every year to check my facts and there were no double contracts. Categorically, there were no dual contracts.”
Football forums and websites were ablaze with reaction last night to the EBTs revelations.
Mark Dingwall, of the Rangers Supporters Trust, was despondent when the Record contacted him last night.
He said: “I’m still going over it in my mind, I don’t know what to think right now.”
And fans swamped supporters’ websites.
One fan calling himself True Blue, said: “What a convoluted mess – just keeps getting uglier day by day.”
Lisburn Rangers added: “Murray, Whyte and Duff & Phelps, may you rot in Hell.”
Burnistoun comic Robert Florence tweeted a dig at former Rangers striker Nacho Novo, who joined Walter Smith on a fans march on Sunday.
He tweeted: “Will @nnovo1010 be giving that EBT cash he took to the Rangers Fighting Fund?”
WHO GOT WHAT FROM THE DODGE?
Alan Hutton £364,000
Hutton made his debut in 2002 and featured in 94 Rangers games, before a £9million move to Spurs.
Alex McLeish £1.7million
McLeish managed Rangers from 2001-06.
Alex Rae £569,000
Midfielder who arrived at Ibrox in 2004 and spent two years there. He played 34 games and scored once.
Andrei Kanchelskis £145,000
Russian winger arrived from Fiorentina in 1998 for £5.5million. Moved four years later to Southampton.
Andrew Dickson £33,000
Head of football administration at Rangers since 2003. Previously financial controller at Ibrox club.
Arthur Numan £510,000
Dutch full-back arrived at Rangers from PSV Eindhoven in 1998 for £4.5million. Played 118 times.
Barry Ferguson £2.5million
Former youth player who became Rangers captain. Played at Ibrox from 1996-2003 and 2005-2009.
Bert Konterman £300,000
Dutch defender signed by Dick Advocaat for £4.5million in 2000. Played 79 matches for Rangers.
Bert Van Lingen £65,000
Assistant manager under Dick Advocaat from 1998 to 2002.
Billy Dodds £190,000
Arrived in a £1.5million deal from Dundee United. Scored 21 goals in four years.
Bob Malcolm £125,000
Central defender started his career with Rangers in 1997. Played 88 games. Left for Derby County in 2006.
Campbell Ogilvie £95,000
At club from 1978 to 2005 as general secretary and later a director. Now SFA president.
Carlos Cuellar £448,255
Spanish centre-half arrived from Osasuna in deal worth £2.37million in 2007. Moved to Aston Villa in 2008.
Chris Burke £55,000
Started career at Rangers, playing 96 games from 2002 to 2009. Left for Cardiff City.
Christian Nerlinger £1.8million
German midfielder signed from Borrusia Dortmund in 2001 and left in 2004.
Claudio Caniggia £1million
Argentinian World Cup finalist signed from Dundee for £1million in 2001. He played 50 timess.
Craig Moore £1.1million
Australian centre-half played more than 90 games from 1994-1998. Returned in 1999 and stayed until 2005.
Dado Prso £1.9million
Croatian striker was free transfer in 2004. Scored 50 goals in 108 games. Left for Dinamo Zagreb in 2007.
Dan Eggen £68,000
Norwegian central defender signed in 2003 from Spanish club Alaves. Did not appear for the first team.
Sir David Murray £6.3million
Owned club from 1988-2011. They won 15 titles and 26 cups. Sold shares to Craig Whyte for £1.
Dick Advocaat £1.5million
Rangers manager from 1998-2002. Spent almost £74million to win five trophies, including two titles.
Douglas Odam £119,000
Finance director for 15 years. Left club in 2003 to take up a role within Sir David Murray’s business empire.
Egil Ostenstad £370,000
Norwegian forward signed from Blackburn on free transfer in 2003. No goals in his 11 games.
Fernando Ricksen £684,225
Dutch right-back signed in 2000 from AZ Alkmaar for £3.75million. Scored 13 times in 182 games. Left in 2006.
Federico Nieto £24,500
Argentine striker joined on loan deal in 2005 from Almagro. Scored once in three matches.
Gavin Rae £376,000
Midfielder joined Rangers from Dundee in 2004 for a fee of £250,000. Transferred to Cardiff in 2007.
George Adams £30,000
Ex-player was head of youth development between 2003-2005.
Graeme Souness £30,000
Player-manager of Rangers from 1986-1991.
Gregory Vignal £173,000
French defender joined on loan from Liverpool in 2004 and played 43 times. Joined Portsmouth in 2005.
Ian McGuinness £25,400
Ibrox club doctor was sacked after Paul Le Guen left. Moved on to Newcastle United and then joined Aston Villa.
Ian Murray £95,000
Midfielder was free transfer from Hibernian in 2006. Played 43 games. Left in 2007.
Jan Wouters £285,000
Former Dutch midfielder joined as a coach under Dick Advocaat, then Alex McLeish. Left in 2006.
Jean-Alain Boumsong £630,000
French centre-half joined in 2004 on free transfer. Signed for Newcastle for £8million after just 18 games.
Jerome Bonnissel £48,000
French left-back arrived in 2003 from Bordeaux. Played three games before joining Fulham.
Jesper Christiansen £320,000
Danish goalkeeper signed in 2000 as injury cover. Played three times and left in 2004.
Joel Le Hir £28,275
Paul Le Guen appointed physiotherapist from 2006 to 2007. Now with Le Guen at Oman national team.
John Greig £40,000
Played for club from 1961-1978. Manage Rangers from 1978 to 1983. Later became a director.
John McClelland £225,000
Appointed a director in 2000. Was chairman from 2002 to 2004. Resigned as non-executive director last year.
Julien Rodriguez £638,000
French centre-half signed from Monaco in 2005 for £1million. Played 34 matches then left for Marseille in 2007.
Kevin Muscat £1million
Australian defender joined from Wolves in 2002 on free transfer. Played 22 games. Joined Millwall in 2003.
Kris Boyd £215,000
Signed from Kilmarnock in 2006 for £500,000. Scored 101 goals. Joined Middlesbrough in 2010.
Libor Sionko £178,000
Czech midfielder signed from Austria Vienna in 2006. Played 18 matches. Joined Copenhagen in 2007.
Lorenzo Amoruso £639,000
Italian defender cost £4m from Fiorentina in 1997. Moved to Blackburn Rovers for £1.4million in 2003.
Martin Bain £249,000
Chief executive of Rangers from 2005 to 2011. Resigned after David Murray sold club to Craig Whyte for £1.
Marvin Andrews £316,025
Centre-half from Trinidad and Tobago joined from Livingston in 2004. Played 43 matches, scoring four times.
Maurice Ross £120,000
Played 78 games for Rangers from 2000 to 2005, before moving to Sheffield Wednesday.
Michael Ball £1.4m
English left-back signed from Everton in 2001 for £6.5million. Played 55 games. Joined PSV Eindhoven in 2005.
Michael Mols £260,000
Dutch striker joined Rangers under Dick Advocaat. He arrived in 1999 and spent five years at Ibrox.
Mikel Arteta £674,603
Spanish midfielder joined in 2002 and played 50 matches, scoring 12 goals. Moved to Everton.
Nacho Novo £1.2m
Spanish striker joined in 2004 from Dundee for £450,000. Played 178 games in six years, scoring 47 times.
Neil McCann £500,000
Winger joined from Hearts in 1998 for £2million and played more than 100 games. Now a media pundit for Sky Sports.
Nuno Capucho £970,000
Portugal winger who arrived in 2003 for £700,000. Featured in 22 games, scoring five goals.
Olivier Bernard £224,000
French defender arrived on a free transfer in 2005. Played nine times.
Paolo Vanoli £592,000
Italian left-back joined from Bologna in 2003 and played in 28 matches for Rangers, scoring once.
Paul Le Guen £201,250
French manager replaced Alex McLeish in 2006. Left in January 2007 after a string of poor results.
Pedro Mendes £1million
Portuguese midfielder joined in 2008 for £3million. Played 39 games and joined Vitória Guimarães in 2010.
Peter Lovenkrands £902,000
Danish winger arrived in 2000 from Akademisk Boldklub for £1.3million. Played 129 games and scored 37 times.
Robert Reilly £105,000
Rangers’ commercial director and helped generate income for the Ibrox club.
Ronald De Boer £1.2million
Dutch midfielder joined in 2000 under Dick Advocaat. Scored 39 goals in four years for the club.
Ronald Waterreus £510,000
Dutch goalkeeper joined Rangers in 2004 from Manchester City. Played 49 matches for the Ibrox club.
Sasa Papac £319,000
Bosnian left-back arrived in 2006 from Austria Vienna for £450,000. Played 161 games. Left in May 2012.
Sotirios Kyrgiakos £532,200
Greek centre-half signed from Panathinaikos in 2005. Left in 2006. Played 54 matches and scored once.
Stefan Klos £2million
German international keeper signed in 1999 for £800,000. Played more than 200 times. Left in 2007 to join Bayer Leverkusen.
Stephane Wiertelak £28,275
French fitness-physiotherapy coach joined Rangers in 2006 under Le Guen. Now works at Rennes.
Steven Davis £600,000
Northern Ireland midfielder and club captain. Played more than 140 times, scoring 17 goals.
Steven Smith £7500
Defender came through youth ranks and made debut in 2004. Moved to Norwich then on to US side Portland Timbers.
Steven Thompson £485,000
Joined from Dundee Utd in 2003 for £200,000. Left in 2006 to join Cardiff City.
Tero Penttila £140,000
Finnish defender joined in 1999 for £300,000 from Haka Valkeakoski. Left Rangers in 2002 to join HJK Helsinki.
Thomas Buffel £1.2million
Belgian midfielder joined in 2005 for £2.3million from Feyenoord. Scored 11 goals and left in 2008.
Tore Andre Flo £1.3million
Norwegian striker joined from Chelsea in 2000 for £12million. Scored 39 times for Rangers. Sold for £6.75million to Sunderland in 2002.
Yves Colleau £106,200
Former French midfielder served as assistant to Paul Le Guen at Rennes, Lyon and Rangers from 2006 to 2007.
Zurab Khizanishvili £405,000
Georgian defender joined on a free transfer from Dundee in 2003. Moved to Blackburn Rovers in 2005.
Proudbhoy
Would love to see izzy play in front of Tierney
Junglejim
I agree Souness styles me as being many things. Stupid isn’t one of them. He is an extremely calculated character who is more often than not in control.’
This is a precursor to something…
Its odd bout the timing and the target.
Does that mean it is now deemed “allowed” to question tax cheats
Can we hope all ex recipients will be questioned
Wee neil will be waving his ebt rule book?
Souness in this cheating is a small part.
I wonder what english fa thinks.
HH
Just a little left-field thinking on the GS revelations.
GS was ensconced in Edinburgh and moved among/hung around with the SDM Charlotte Square Glitterati – property/land investment deals (the quick buck).
£30K = small change. What’s not to say some of his ‘old pension pot’ went into some so-called ‘sweet’ deals which have now went (*)(*) up with the final winding-up of all MIH & Subsidiaries affairs – resulting in major losses to him?
Could this be an Et tu, Brute moment? I do hope so! :-)
NatKnow
Currently, there is a policy proposal to legislate to permit the retrospective taxing of loans from offshore trusts. There is though no current mechanism at law to allow it, hence the need to legislate. It won’t be an issue until/unless the proposed legislation is passed, and thereafter, been tested in the courts. I’d say we’re looking at some considerable time away befire anyone’s settling their tax affairs thus.
Canamalar
Can’t imagine what you mean. Nup, just can’t imagine it.
TONTINE TIM @ 4 17.
My mother dragged me to a C and W musical at the Kings Theatre in the late 70s. To her ( and my ) surprise it turned out to be a born again Christian thing.Barry McGuire played Peter.Possibly the most kitsch thing I have ever witnessed..I couldn’t resist buying the associated Lp from the ad hoc stall in the foyer.Again – wowee kitsch – my only regret is that Sidney Devine wasnt a member of the cast .
Tiny Bubbles CSC – way down south.
Phoned the SPFL re post split fixtures looks like tomorrow but the guy did’nt sound very sure – amateur hour, totally unprofessional. H H Hebcelt
JUNGLE JIM HOT SMOKED on 11TH APRIL 2016 4:03 PM
Was Souness really taken aback or was the who;e thing staged? Something is not right about this.
JJ
Staged alright. That Jonathan Watson is a very naughty boy!-))