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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A STOR MHA CHROI on 7TH JULY 2017 11:52 AM
Without certifiable ‘Press’ who are we going to rely on to give us certifiable truthful news
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Ourselves alone.
The press never gave you a “truth” – there’s no such thing as a single version. They gave you their opinion based on what information they had. In other words – what they want you to think/believe.
Since the democratization of opinion which the internet brought about, it’s possible to examine that information directly rather than through the lens of a journalist who writes only to sell papers.
Skill set required here is being able to separate the good information from the bad. Fortunately, as Tims, we have had great practice in this over the years and are well-placed to embrace the new news.
The genie is out of the bottle.
BROGAN ROGAN TREVINO & HOGAN @ 7:55 AM,
&
AULDHEID @ 8:36 AM,
Thanks for your input ghuys… we need some clear guidance and a clear path forward.
Something that has struck me through these whole shenanigans pertains to both these posts, it’s this… Just how tuff it is to convince the folk who won’t see Justice done, either through conviction or design, the blatant wrongs committed by Rangers…
It breaks my Heart sometimes when watching something like the Olympics and seeing someone get eliminated or disqualified through a minor breach of the rules or technicality.
Four years hard work, down the drain due to an incorrect piece of equipment, or wearing the wrong number or crossing a wrong line or barrier.
But Dems the rules, no excuses, no exceptions… it’s the way it works…
What Rangers did was to utilise schemes to give their Club and their Sportsmen an unfair advantage that profited then in Sporting terms and Financially – both in breach of the rules.
They used Subterfuge at best and possibly Fraud to cover these advantages up, while others stuck to the rules.
Why anyone, let alone Sporting Bodies and Administrators would try to prevent a REVIEW of these events is quite Frankly Ridiculous.
There are NO excuses for prevarication, Certainly not, Financial, nor to Cover up Incompetence.
Hail Hail
I heard what BR said.. he will bring them in later….which could be after we have been put out. We are far weaker in defense that last yesr. no new players but O’Connell, Ambrose and Toure gone. OK for SPl but we need a big improvement for Europe, even Europa….
PS Ajer will turn into a good player but is nowhere near ready to play for Celtic. another 6 months on loan somewhere. ideally not on a plastic pitch this time
MARADOMINIC
It could also be after we have qualified for the groups.
Panic ye not………………
new article posted.
PS Huns cheated taxman from day Murray took over. I rember Judas said his tax problem was taken care of by them…. he agreed wages with celtic then McMurdo said that wa with tax!
Panic? Me? Never… “fail to prepare and you prepare to fail”,,,,,, from Mystery Men!
for the pedantics:
du jour, not de jour, but I’m not a journalist, with and editor, who red-lines my copy, and I don’t speak french.
BMCUW
10.48
Could we rely on an investigative media here?
Nope.
The meeja are private companies with a right wing agenda.so its easier to sullen single mothers instead of asking vermin like Sir David of Cheat what £94,000,000 could have built in terms of hospitals schools etc.
The same sliverous meeja that gave us succulent lamb for prostituting themsel ves and bringing whats left of their profession into disrepute.
“Profession”-Scottish sports reporter MEANS you are waiting to be told
Thank God for TOG, offshore reports and our own res 12 guys.
Hope your good mate.
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Tony Donnelly 67
Hi Tony.
To me its not smsm v new media.
Its about authenticity and truth.
You dont get that in a corporate owned media.
You get what we have
A media who were complicit with Sir David of Cheatings skankery.revelled in it in fact, sales sales sales instead of truth truth truth.
They are still at it, brickin themselves and comprimised to the point the fence they sit on can be seen if they open their mouths!
Comics and waitintobetolds.
HH
AN TEARMANN
Yes sure mate call it what you like, it’s interesting times we live in, the MSM are easy to trip up because they are predictable and circle the wagons as they are doing now.
The blogger or ordinary guy will just come right out with the truth, , they all have different angles on things but eventually they all get to the truth.
And that’s a thing that the SMSM are immune too, they do what they’r told.
Best wishes to THE MINX and HAMILTONTIM on their wedding day! Hope you have a great day and many happy years together.