Here’s the problem: this is a can of worms. If contagion was limited to Sir David Murray and other Murray Group executives, there may be more “appetite” to analyse what went wrong and what to do about it.
Rangers were a rogue football team, operating a tax scheme out with the law, failing to disclose appropriate documentation to HMRC, the SPL and SFA. Legal responsibility for the club’s actions lies with all directors, not just the majority owner. They have collective responsibility to ensure business is conducted appropriately. David King, Paul Murray, Alistair Johnston and former SFA president Campbell Ogilvie, were all Rangers directors during the EBT and DOS years.
The SPFL (formerly SPL) are also implicated. They set terms of reference for what became the Lord Nimmo Smith Commission, then amended those terms to only include matters which were, at that time, regarded as legal, explicitly excluding matters already confirmed as illegal.
They then failed to present evidence to Nimmo Smith of the five matters Rangers admitted guilt on during the First Tier Tribunal process, preferring only to present matters that were in dispute, but (temporarily) found in Rangers favour.
Having done this, they instructed their lawyer not to ask for an opportunity to appeal if the pending HMRC appeal was upheld. Instead, closing the book on a procedural appeal.
The SFA executives side just along the corridor from their SPFL counterparts. Yesterday they issued a remarkable statement:
“Specifically, Senior Counsel was asked to anticipate whether a determination in favour of HMRC, as announced today, could imply that there had been a breach of the Scottish FA’s Disciplinary Rules as they applied at the time of the EBT payments.
The clear opinion of Senior Counsel is that there is a very limited chance of the Scottish FA succeeding in relation to any complaint regarding this matter”.
I refer you to SFA Disciplinary Rule 71, Article 94.1:
“No recognised football body, club, official, Team Official or other member of Team Staff, player, match official, or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall bring the game into disrepute.”
They are asking you to believe that Senior Counsel told them no Rangers official brought the game into disrepute as a consequence of this matter. A matter which has left over £100m debt and hundreds of creditors unpaid, saw 55 players incorrectly registered, and one of the largest clubs in the country liquidated – the consequences of which will be permanent, no matter your view on Newco/same club.
All for an issue which Rangers directors gave evidence in court that the EBT scheme was undertaken to allow them to sign players they would otherwise be unable to pay. Ensuring an illegal sporting advantage.
Possible SFA sanctions for this include fines of up to £1m and/or expulsion from the game.
Sorry, but this is not a tenable position. The game was massively brought into disrepute; to issue a statement claiming otherwise just adds the stench of cover up to an already dreadful state. And bringing the game into disrepute is just scratching the surface, without going into consequences of the club’s actions on competitions.
I question the scope and remit given to Counsel, which was clearly limited in order to make it possible to deliver this statement. Who issued that scope and why it blinded Counsel to the clear matter of disrepute is another question to answer.
Executives at Hampden will have scoured news coverage this morning in the hope that this this will blow over. Scottish newspaper, TV and radio coverage is irrelevant. Instead, they should be looking to establish a recovery position for our game. This is not finished.
Those implicated by the contagion – the “heavily conflicted” do not get to decide that no action is to be taken; Scotland is not yet a Banana Republic.
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THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 7TH JULY 2017 1:29 AM
Turkeybhoy
I remember many a time ive been ranting and raving and out of order.
Posters were telling me to calm down, i did eventually.
And i wouldnt be surprised if you were one of those posters:)
Neganon has his say, lots dont agree, not just you.
Still…we all have an opinion, nobody has to agree.
HH
I am not “Ranting and raving”.I am perfectly sober and in control of my senses.Neganon is a twat.OK,that is my opinion.Whats so difficult about that?.
ACGR
Cant go.
But my lackeys and underlings will make sure no harm comes to our pal.
DD is famous, he will know everybody in that crowd anyway:)
HH
Ha ha, you cant be bothered correcting me. You arrogant twat.
I’ll take some of the rest of your post as read and the rest with a pinch of salt.
Thanks for answering, and yes that was ok.
Turkeybhoy
Im sure he would say the same about you:)
I never said you were ranting and raving, that’s my speciality, and im very, very good at it:)
Neganon is offski anyway.
You have made your point.
HH
Turkeybhoy
If Celtic’s half time entertainment was Lawwell taking a dump in the centre circle you’d applaud.
TGM, aye he’ll be fluid tomorrow, that’s a cert….:_)
I’m away to my kip. Got to be up at six to deal wi some knobheads in Aberdeen then an early finish to head down for HT’s wedding. Looking forward to it and seeing some pals.
Turkeybhoy, I love yer ferver and don’t doubt your Celtic credentials one bit, but you come across as an aggressive prick and your impact on here is diluted as a result. Anyway, keep it up.
HH Celtic men and wummin
A CEILER GONOF RUST on 7TH JULY 2017 1:43 AM
Ha ha, you cant be bothered correcting me. You arrogant twat.
No I could not,because you already had previous for not reading my posts correctly,which you apologised for.
I am an arrogant twat?FFS.Tell you what ,I would rather be an arrogant twat,than an illiterate one who cant read whats in front of them,then comments on it in ignorance.Whatever is good for you.
ACGR
Thanks for your concern. Ryan red beard is my carer for the Radiohead show tonight. :)
Margaret McGill
That last post could be genius if we could tweak it into a ‘Its a Knockout’ scenario
That would bring in a fortune during the close season:)
HH
DD
Ive arranged to have a big camera drone overhead, it will zap the footage back to Green Man Towers.
I can come and get you once you pass out:)
Have a good one bud:)
HH
MARGARET MCGILL on 7TH JULY 2017 1:47 AM
Turkeybhoy
If Celtic’s half time entertainment was Lawwell taking a dump in the centre circle you’d applaud.
I dont like PL,most of the time,but if he was doing this deed on your face,I would be cheering and applauding like there was no tomorrow.
TGM
Merde Sans Frontières ?
Turkeybhoy
Man you are one angry dude.
Im offski, hope we can chat when you are in a better mood.
Then i can slag you for being a big blouse:)
Laters, take care.
HH
Margaret McGill on 7th July 2017 1:47 am Turkeybhoy If Celtic’s half time entertainment was Lawwell taking a dump in the centre circle you’d applaud.
…………………………………………………………………………………….
So would I Maggie, if he wiped his arse wi a butchers apron.
I hope that’s his party piece on flag day.
HH
TGM
Pineapple Krush. Dynamite! ;)
Margaret McGill
Wouldnt you love to see Eddie Waring with that mad hat on…just one more time.
We wont mention Stuart Hall.
Ooops:)
HH
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 7TH JULY 2017 1:45 AM
Turkeybhoy
Im sure he would say the same about you:)
Yea,and if he did,do you think there would be so many on sticking up for me as there are that twat.Nope.
Far too many butt kissers on here.Dont give a toss.Every time he is on,he is getting “Dug up”
DD
Investigate that on your return:)
Sounds lovely:)
Turkeybhoy
We would all be sticking up for you in the same circumstances.
We all get peed off, its no big thing.
Im sure you would love it working for the huns i have to put up with:)
Fkn hell, they would have you banned from Scotland:)
HH
TGM
Fruity and sweet. See you soon.
I will be the perfect gentleman,as always tomorrow,when Friday is Neganon free.Mc Gill might creep on right enough.Ah well.
Turkeybhoy
You are in good company, believe me.
I think we may all be alike in certain respects:)
Short fuses and warped humour.
Never done me any harm, apart from fecking me right up:)
HH
Good night
God bless
Turkeybhoy
I once called a very famous historian an Orange B……, im sure you can imagine how that went:)
HH
Mags
Laters
HH
I see The Herald in trying for some “Whata bouterry”have dragged up the old one about the bank DD has a stake in,regarding tax dodging.Shamefully,then again ,maybe not,the go on to say
The Herald contacted the office of Mr Desmond, an Irish-born tax exile, seeking a comment on yesterday’s conviction of Rietumu. There was no response. Mr Desmond was not named in court proceedings. There has been no suggestion the billionaire, as a shareholder or board member, had any knowledge or involvement in any wrongdoing.
So what is the F———- story.
TGM
One???
Turkeybhoy
DD is a billionaire capitalist bassa.
Nothin in common wi him.
DD
I done worse to a few others:)
Head-locked one numpty, headbutted another.
That’s why that fud called me the ‘Charles Manson’ of Scottish Historical Studies:)
I was right though, my interpretation was superior, they didnt appreciate me exposing their evil ways:)
HH
TURKEYBHOY on 7TH JULY 2017 2:11 AM
Just read the same thing.
And thought the same thing.
Forza TGM.
I believe in you. :)
DD
Me and the wee Cork fella, and a Hungarian lad, on the Stirling Campus at the time.
The well to do staff invited us to a wee soiree.
You can imagine:)
We ended up getting totally blitzed, the wee Cork fella blew a gasket, and the Hungarian lad lost the plot and smashed some windaes.
Wooft:)
HH
If, the Celtic PLC have already emptied….
the bank accounts of 53,000 season ticket holders…..
then, expect nothing to be done about….
title stripping…………..unless,….
NFL announces that he’ll be pursueing….
the, SPFL / SPFL / SFA , privately for honours….
that he was cheated out of in his capacity of…..
player / captain / manager of, Celtic FC.
NFL, whilst manager of our club said,….
NFL – “If, in the fullness of time, it turns out that, during my time, either as a Celtic player or, manager that, I have been cheated out of, medals or trophies, by a club who were financially doped, well……I’ll be wanting those medals and trophies back.”
The above statement, probably fueled the desire of the PLC board to throw NFL under a bus the way that they did.
Now, just for one minute, stop and think about the shame that could be coming down the track here if your a Celtic supporter……
Shamed by the complicit silence of the PLC….SHAMED / GUILTY !!!
Aberdeen fans reminding you all of, how you all were too busy eating jelly n ice cream, whilst Aberdeen fans were inside Celtic Park, waving a banner proclaiming –
” Celtic FC, Your SILENCE Is Deafening !!!” – SHAMED / GUILTY !!!
The dubious 5 Way Agreement will come into play and, Celtic PLC’s toxic involvement will be exposed – SHAMED / GUILTY !!!
Every game that we play in from now on, the opposition teams fans will refer to Celtic supporters as – SHYTE BAGS – because the PLC refused to take tickets for Linfield, without any consultation with any supporter groups and, as a consequence of that decision, any time that the Celtic supporters bring out the Provo song book you all will be portrayed as, plastic Paddies / shyte bags / mugs and, it will all be applicable – SHAMED / GUILTY !!!
The PLC cited safety and security as the reasons that they don’t want Celtic supporters to go to Linfield ???…..if that is the reason, the real reason, well, why do they allow Celtic supporters to go to crumbling Ibrox ?…..and, furter than that…..why do the PLC authenticate the old firm lie with their 49 quid p#sh ?…..further still, why was it not 49 quid to see a new club called – Gretna FC ? – SHAMED / GUILTY !!!
Anyway,…..YOGI HUGHES – Thoughts and Prayers fella YNWA.
…….off-oot.
DD
Im offski bud, txt me later.
Have a good one tonight:)
KEVJ HH
Kev
Fae the heart pal. Liked it.
TGM
I am a weirdo.
I am a creep.
Radiohead in Glasgow!
What ever happened to the ole “Opinions are like Ars*h*les, every blog has a few”?
I haven’t seen as great a meltdown as this since Fukushima
Scaniel
God bless you and yer lovely lass.
See you in D and G soon. :)