Spartak Moscow today sacked manager Unai Emeri after a 1-5 home league defeat against eight placed Dinamo Moscow. Spartak are confirmed as bottom of Celtic’s Champions League group before they head to Celtic Park for the final game on 5 December.
Emeri has been increasingly unpopular since taking over earlier this year when his spell at Valencia ended, while rumours of dissent in the dressing room were never far away. I had hoped he would remain in place for the visit to Glasgow but there will be a new man in charge by then.
A group of around 200 supporters demonstrated after the game, many chanting for the foreign players to ‘Go home’.
Get your CQN Annual here, an enormous resource from the keyboards of Celtic fans!
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Great mysteries of CQN- why kevjungle needs to keep telling us he’s away oot?
Is somebody monitoring his movements? Does anybody care?
Hmmm… Now who am I thinking of when I read this?
A flourishing industry which helps people evade UK tax has been uncovered following an investigation by the BBC’s Panorama programme.
One company formation firm said the odds of getting caught by the UK tax authorities are roughly equivalent to winning the lottery.
The programme secretly filmed corporate service providers offering services that would break the law.
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs says tackling tax evasion is a priority.
Tax evasion costs the UK taxpayer an estimated £4bn a year.
‘Sham directors’
Secret filming by the BBC as part of a joint investigation with the Guardian newspaper and the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists identified a number of corporate service providers – firms that specialise in setting up companies both in the UK and abroad – willing to facilitate tax evasion and turn a blind eye to criminal activity.
In one instance, an undercover reporter posing as a businessman with £6m in undeclared income sitting in a Swiss bank account is advised to move his money into a complex structure involving an anonymous foundation in the tax haven of Belize, which he would control in secret.
James Turner of Turner Little in York, which specialises in forming companies, assured the undercover reporter that his company already had 10,000 of these structures up and running with secrecy guaranteed.
“We’ve had Inland Revenue investigations on clients that have used companies like this… and they haven’t got to the money,” Mr Turner said during secret filming.
The complicated structure proposed by Mr Turner also involved the use of nominee directors to help keep the undercover reporter’s name off company paperwork.
Nominee directors can be legitimately appointed to run companies on behalf of others. But according to James Turner, his nominees would not be running anything at all.
In other words, they would be a sham.
“They won’t even know that they are a director, they just get paid,” he said, adding that the directors’ signatures could be provided simply by using a stamp.
Jonathan Fisher QC, one of the UK’s leading barristers specialising in white collar crime cases, said that what was being proposed would break the law.
“If this proceeded and the company was set up and it was set up in the way in which it is being discussed, then plainly some very serious criminal offences would be committed.”
Those potential offences would be helping to cheat the revenue and launder the proceeds of crime.
Mr Turner denied any allegations of criminal misconduct. Turner Little said it takes its statutory and regulatory obligations seriously but said that once an internal investigation has been completed, if appropriate, it will take action.
Panorama also discovered corporate service providers offering to appoint sham directors to UK companies. UK law states that directors are responsible for the companies they run and should know what those companies are doing.
‘Sark Lark’
The use of sham directors was supposed to have been stamped out in the late 1990s after a scandal on the Channel Island of Sark.
In what became known as the “Sark Lark” one islander was discovered to be the director of more than 1,300 companies. Between them, the 600 inhabitants of the island held 15,000 directorships. New laws have reduced that to fewer than 50 posts today.
But the Panorama investigation found that the Sark Lark is not dead – rather it has moved and gone global.
One corporate service provider based in Dubai, Atlas Corporate Services, showed a list of its 19 nominee directors to one of Panorama’s undercover reporters.
The programme discovered they had held more than 6,000 UK company directorships. The company involved said there is nothing unlawful in Dubai about the use of nominee professional directors.
‘Tip of iceberg’
Panorama also approached other firms posing as the representative of corrupt Indian government figures who wanted to invest in the UK.
Russell Lebe, Managing Director of Readymade Companies Worldwide in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, told an undercover reporter that, if approached by the Indian authorities about tax evasion, “we wouldn’t give a monkey’s”.
HMRC confirmed it has not prosecuted any corporate service providers in the UK Despite being told that the fictional clients were earning “commissions” on government contracts that they wanted to move offshore, Mr Lebe said he would be content not to know their identities and even agreed that the undercover reporter could front for them by pretending to be the owner.
“There’ll be no emails and nothing in writing to say that anyone else is the owner and it’ll all go under your name. Absolutely fine,” he told the reporter.
Readymade Companies Worldwide said they would not provide company formation services if they knew or suspected they would be used to launder the proceeds of crime or defraud tax authorities.
As a precautionary measure, they said they have asked a law firm to review their procedures and will provide staff with further training.
Former Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Tristram Hicks, a leading expert on money laundering, said: “What I’m shocked by, and concerned by, is the apparent ease with which you’ve discovered these people.
“It tells you that maybe it is the tip of the iceberg that you have discovered by scratching the surface and that our regulation regime is not catching enough people.”
In a statement, HM Revenue and Customs, which regulates the 2,467 registered trust or company service providers in the UK, said most in the industry have nothing to do with criminal activity.
But it did confirm that it has never prosecuted a single corporate service provider for breaching money laundering regulations.
Roberttressell
Jabba’s performances In the DR and on Shortbread ….are not compatible with a journalist employed by the national broadcaster
He continually pursues his own agenda often at the expense of the listener
He should not be permitted to behave in this fashion while working for the BBC
FanandaPatriot – I booed them – they were rubbish for the upteenth time this season. Unacceptable.
Miki67
Thank you for the link to the Stones from last night.
Reference your comment – some of us who have been Stones fans for all of the 50 years (myself included) will have enjoyed the show very much.
Some folk just like to be knockers….still as long as they make you unhappy you will have something to moan about.
Guess you can’t get no satisfaction!
BlantyreKev
10:49 on 26 November, 2012
___________________
In my early working days in the 50s there was no recognition of Christmas.
Every workplace was open, including the pubs. On one such Xmas I was working in the laboratory of a cement works at Rothesay Docks. Temptation to mark the special day took hold of me & I went to the pub for a ‘wee drink’.
When they closed for the afternoon, as they did every day at that time, I was still enjoying what had long since ceased to be a WEE drink.
I returned to my place of employment loudly regaling the world with some unusual versions of well known carols.
For some reason, my performance was not appreciated.
Bang went another career opportunity.
Ntassoolla-I don’t usually criitisize free speech mate,but for me booing players or the manager has always been a no no for me,I stand by what I said,thanks for reply.
The Reckage…..whit a paper…a rank hunnie love-in. Stephen Fry……someone always ready to flop onto a bandwagon to self-publicise–odious overpaid luvvie….Paul Ferris : proving we do indeed live in a gangster’s paradise. The UKplc, an island experiment gone wrong.
And Jabba…..aaaawwww…..he canny make his mind up. Envious hurtin’ hun.
Here ye go: we wiz wrong. We thought that the fttt would uphold the original verdict. The fact that it did not only proves the malign influence wielded by the establishment. And it still contains enough damning evidence to sink a leagueful’s worth of teams.
I will not be demeaning myself again by a repeat visit to that weird and spiteful site masquerading as journalism.
If rangers beat the taxman and were hounded out of sheer spite, how come they were liquidated owing them £21 Million?
The ole British Rail moustachioed woman ticket collector, is more annoying than a normal ticket collector.
Afternoon all from a cold but dry Dublin. Type of players we need:
(1) a traditional number 10 – a player that will drop off the main striker get it into feet and creative from an advanced position. I suggest Wes Houlahan off Norwich – a seriously clever footballer.
(2) a wide player with serious pace on The left hand side a left footed Didier Agathe
(3) a holding midfielder of serious technical quality that can link the play between back and front. A Paul Scholes type player was badly needed in Lisbon – our ability to retain possession on Tuesday was very worrying but not surprising.
The reality is we are a poor enough side but we are punching above our weight in Europe. The creative side of The game is far harder to master than The defensive side – we dominate possession in Scotland but unless you have quality to unlock packed and organised defences you will always struggle. Pace and creativity is what is required for this Celtic team to improve in my opinion.
Hail Hail
Roccobhoy
bmcuwp tootin tim
flan obriens drink in there regular watch some of the games in there aq=re you planning a visit ? lived in bath for 19 years now
Miki67
I was about to follow you into the darkness of his article, but that fotie of his ugly bloated visog was enough to chase me away.
rebelbhoy72-I would like to think most of the boos were for Murray’s cheating performance.When Neil reacted about 15-20 guys stood up and had a go back,it didn’t look good.HH
Hey! You! Bourne!
Don’t refer to Jasmine in such terms.
Kev Jungle
Keep walkin!
You should be ashamed of yourself after the statement you made on Sat regarding our manager’s position and John Collins.
I never read your nonsense usually but felt i had to respond after Saturdays attempt to start a malicious rumour!
Jabba on Oldco “… it has been proved they done nothing wrong”
1) By ” wrong”, I think he means illegal, since he conveniently does not go into the questionable at best moral stance of the deid club.
2) ” they done” Dear God. Is this what passes for journalistic ability in Scotland nowadays? This guy is an Associate Editor of the best selling newspaper in the country and used to write for The Herald.
Say what you like about Spiers, but at least when he’s wrong, he’s wrong grammatically.
Kilbowie Kelt
12:16 on 26 November, 2012
Was Christmas not regarded as a bit of an alien, Catholic imposition on Presbyterian Scotland?
Despite the low turnout on Saturday the Gazebo was well filled with celebs including Harry Hill, and a dashing Peter Wyngarde look alike.
Straight from the mouth of the Dundee player on Sportscene last night- when the Celtic fans start booing the team it gives us (i.e. the opposition) a great lift.
Their twelfth man, no less.
ernie lynch,
It was indeed.
Wishing your average Presbyterian neighbour or work colleague a Happy Christmas was at times regarded as being almost provocative.
We HAVE came a long way.
Boo Gate still rumbling on I see.
Ole Jason and Jasmin King now that’s why I call a striking partnership.
booker t
12:22 on
26 November, 2012
No sure why anyone reads his tripe.
Kind of “fan” I can do without.
bournesouprecipe
Harry Hill eh, sure it wasn’t a cheap look-a-like from Carluke ?
The Battered Bunnet @ 12 04 .
A mate tells of overhearing a post game discussion re the booing
” Disgraceful ”
” People should boo people who boo ”
” Aye but then the people who booed first would boo those who were boing them for booing for not booing “
Off the top of my head on the Christmas discussion…..
The 20th century Christmas generally in the UK stemmed from the “traditions” started in Victorian England in the 19th century? Fed by the American Christmas as cinema and television took over midway through the 20th?
Scotland lagged behind partly due to the presbyterian beliefs – but on what grounds would anyone defend the current average Christmas “celebrations”?
new article posted.
One Chrstimas I received a kool watch with a built-in BS-ometer.
It broke the first time I tuned in to ‘Your Call’ on Radio Shortbread.
Should have know better …
FF
Personally, I would pooh pooh people who boo.
KK
My late mother who landed in Scotland – from Italy – in the early 50s was astounded of forehead to discover that Christmas Day was ‘just another day’.
All the Italians went to mass and a had a jolly old time thereafter! No work that day!
She soon ‘got the picture’!
HH!!
BB
Il plead a Wenger on that as I didnt see the incident but I agree that is not something our manager should be subjected to. However, I can understand the frustration. We all love Celtic but the SPL performances have been very poor and whats most worrying is that the expected response and desire from most of the players is not there. What if Sevco were there and ten points clear by now??
john anthony12:15 on26 November, 2012:
>>>>
Mercy buckets for your double-edged retort. I merely question the validity of ticket prices averaging £450 for over-the-hill rock ‘n’ rollers.
I speak as someone who still buys Stones material….previously unreleased stuff, outtakes etc.,…..as someone who spent many many hours learning Keith Richard’s near unique guitar technique (he acquired it from mostly unsung black players) and passing that knowledge along to others…..for free.
Also, the most influential of The Stones, Ian Stewart, died a long time ago. At that point, the band lost something invaluable. He was a silent partner in their enterprise, but he felt, being much older than the rest, that he would impede their image in the early days, but his musicianship was a huge driving influence behind them. And in Andrew Loog Oldham they had a very very astute manager, confidante, and Svengali-like mentor.
Too, the influence of Brian Jones cannot be overplayed. Another tragic loss through excess.
Their modern (1980 onwards) corporate mindset is at odds with everything they espoused, and I suppose I find myself disillusioned by that.
Just like seeing Johnny Rotten flogging butter, and going on reality TV.
I think I have high expectations of those I admire, and feel a part of me dies when they disappoint.
After all, a cynic is just a failed romantic.
Anyway, I don’t disparage anyone who would enjoy The Strolling Bones. That’s up to them.
I saw Jeff Beck in a small venue earlier this year. A master of the craft, and a good friend of The Stones. Ticket price? £26:50. Go figure.
As you can tell, you’ve hit a raw nerve. In a time of manufactured austerity, greed is shameful, and I’m afraid The Stones are guilty of just that.
HH!
P.S. I found the YouTube link to their gig last night in the comments section of the review in The Guardian if you want more: there are 2 more vids, one of which has Jeff Beck playing with them.
Real Celtic supporters don’t boo their team or abuse their manager. They support their team through the bad times and in the words of the song -‘win,lose or draw.’