Your fathers, their fathers, and their fathers before them, have walked away from football grounds thinking the game in Scotland was skewed in favour of another team. As a club founded by immigrants, with our historical support drawn largely from some of the poorest sections of society, for decades Celtic-friendly people were underrepresented in the professional classes, the very classes those who administered and refereed our game were, and still are, drawn from.
No one believes more than me that times have changed. That immigrant community gained equal access to all professions years ago – yes, including referees. The prejudices which, perhaps not surprisingly, developed in Scotland when an incessant flood of around 800,000 immigrants poured into the country over a few short decades, have moved on. Our society is not without prejudice, but it’s others who are now targeted most.
Football decisions made by referees are difficult to prove to be deliberately unfair. I have no doubt that Celtic suffered unfairly in this regard for decades, but I see little evidence of it now, and even if there was, it is impossible to tell the difference between incompetence and bias.
Conclusive evidence of what we were up against was established in 1999 when an independent SFA Commission heard a complaint from Celtic that Jim Farry, the Association’s chief executive, deliberately delayed the registration of Jorge Cadete, meaning the player was unable to play for Celtic in a cup game against Rangers. The Commission upheld Celtic’s complaint and Farry was sacked for gross misconduct – even back then holding a torch for due process.
That incident came at the end of a difficult period to be a Celtic fan. Rangers had violated one of our cherished records, Nine-in-a-row, was matched, not by wonderful athletic achievement, as Celtic did, but by the might of the cheque book. Fergus built a stadium, left us a little over £2m in debt and taught the SFA a valuable lesson. In short, he put Celtic on a level playing field with everyone else in the country.
In August 2000 an almighty game of football reset all the dials. Celtic scored six against then champions Rangers. We won the league by 21 points, won the Scottish and League cups, our first treble in 32 years. On and off the park, we were better than a team who only a few years earlier seemed light-years ahead of a sorry looking Celtic.
Rangers responded by flooding more cash into their football squad, this time using Employee Benefit Trusts. In February last year Celtic Quick News was first to raise the question that these EBT payment might not have been registered with the SFA and SPL. Within three weeks the SPL commenced an investigation into the question, which found Rangers had a case to answer. The league set up the Commission which will report at noon today.
This is the most important decision in Scottish football history with implications for past and current directors of the organisations which run our game; people who were legally obliged to ensure rules were applied fairly, thoroughly and evenly.
It has implications for the Rangers group of clubs and for the international reputation of Scottish football, but none of this matters to you and me. We want to know if we were watching a level playing field for 11 years, or if the game was rigged. I can’t think of a more important decision in the history of British sport. There has never been and will never again be a decision which casts a shadow on 14 trophies, ‘won’ allegedly by a team playing by different rules to the rest.
The First Tier Tribunal decision last year and forthcoming Upper Tier Tribunal are sideshows. This is the main event, second only to Lisbon in importance to Scottish football. I am confident the decision will go against the group of clubs. If it doesn’t, we should not demean ourselves by slipping into paranoia. This is an independent commission, anyone who tells you otherwise is deluded.
My only concern is that the scale of punishments which would be appropriate for a guilty verdict are, frankly, so enormous, I expect every available opportunity to mitigate the sanctions to be exploited. This is a black cap verdict, but despite their impartiality, I don’t expect the Commission to dress sombrely when signing the decision.
A bottle of expensive fizzy stuff is in the fridge, in case we need to toast all those generations who, unlike us today, never had the opportunity to nail the truth.
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Parkheadcumsalford
“ … otherwise, the players were ineligible … .”
This is the crux, amigo. According to LNS: “… there was scope for a different construction of the rule, to the effect that, as the lodging of the document in question was a condition of registration, the registration of the player would be liable to revocation, with the consequence that the player would thereafter become ineligible to play … a player’s registration should generally be treated as standing unless and until revoked.”
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Jog on, Timmy.
I’ve spoken to 2 season ticket holders in the last 20 minutes who have said they are not going back to CP unless the club fight this decision, or is it the consequences of this decision?
And we laughed at the Vicky Pryce jury !
Disgusted :o(.
The circle has been well and truly squared.
WB.
mickbhoy1888
12:47 on
28 February, 2013
Why wait till the Final. If we win on Saturday all of the supporter groups should call on a mass boycott of the semi final. If successful, and the team are successful, do again for the final
As a Celtic fan I know we were cheated when Rangers were signing players that we could only stand back and wonder why these big names were arriving at Ibrox of course it was all about the money.As a taxpayer I know I paid every penny due, while over Ibrox way they cheated the revenue and the Brittish public.Sir Daid Murray,Craig Whyte and Charlie Green have taken us for mugs and it pains me to say it it looks like they are correct.H.H.
ive got a game tonight, playing upfront for the under 14’s.
well, it seems you dont need to register anything properly, so why not.
Aye, a non-recoverable £250K fine and God knows how much the three “independent” amigos got paid to come up with this ruling. No wonder everybody thinks Scottish football is a joke. It’s the fans who will be footing the bill for this debacle either directly or indirectly (TV subscriptions). When Celtic tie up the league all away games should suffer a complete bhoycott stating clearly the reason why. John Reid was wrong “those days” have not gone.
i am amazed at some statements saying they are thinking about not going back to scottish football, its music to the ears of of the money men your only thinking about it,
tell ya what when you decide you will comeback why dont you go to charlie and give him the money its just the same and if you cannot see that well none so blind they say,
what is it you do not understand about paying to get cheated, am i wrong in saying that
I’ve had it with Scottish Football. I will continue to love Celtic but I cannot go back to matches that involve Scottish competition. The sad thing as I predicted this outcome. That they’d find a way around applying the rules.
The whole game is set up for them.
Interesting I thought newco covered oldco’s football debts. Surely another £250k out of Charles purse?
mickbhoy1888
i believe boycotting celtic because of one or two very poor performances would be churlish to say the least.
however boycotting celtic because they refuse to stand up for the rights of their fanbase after decades of cheating and corruption by a now defunked club sounds very legit to me.
as someone put earlier,i am waiting for celtics responce to this.if they take the ‘uncle tom’ stance again i believe celtic fc could be in huge trouble with its own supporters
Support our club or else the cheats prosper even more. Boycott ALL SFA games. Please.
prestonpans
Excellent point, but it would require someone at the SPL or SFA to pursue it and we all know they won’t because they don’t want to.
Mort
12:39 on
28 February, 2013
Philbhoy – It’s just the beginning!
12:40 on
28 February, 2013
================================================================
We will see.
Personally I think we will just hear Pi@@ and wind. That will not be enough. The time for grand speeches and quotes have gone. They have just made a joke of the whole process. Clubs and fans need to take action now.
I would be very surprised if this scenario had not already been anticipated by the other clubs. Jeezo we’ve been talking about it for months…..
As a long time lurker (First ever post) and someone who loves this site and those that contribute to it. Today sums up all we/I know about Scotland, SFA and the SPL. Corrupt to the Core. As a Season ticket holder, as much as I want to walk away right now, i will never do that. That is what they want, to weaken us and strengthen them.
What has today and the last few years taught me??? Nothing I didn’t already know. Yes, we are angry, but we should do what we always do fight and keep on fighting. Let them pretend all is well in their world, for it is not. Unlike us, the rest of the footbal fans in Scotland and around the world now know what we have always known. They are “CHEATS”.
ernie –
the statement was;
– late
– not corroborated
– not believed
Which of those do you agree or disagree with?
BTW I raised an eyebrow when the statement came out. I did not believe it.
Sometimes juries just stick two fingers up when they feel they are being railroaded and expected to rubber stamp what their “betters” have already decided. Like it or lump it they are masters of the facts.
And we all thought OJ decision was an injustice.What a parcel of rouges in a nation.
IMO the Celtic Board will not comment on, let alone fight, this decision. They will see 3+ years of a free run at the riches of the CL as ‘compensation’ for the years of rules breaking.
They want the Zombies back in the SPL as soon as possible, they probably think it will arrest the steady decline in attendances this season and protect future ST sales.
An Appalling Vista.
PhilBhoy
How can Celtic fight it?
I think that is the question.
Here’s a question.
Why can’t Hearts sell the club to a new holding company and let the old company go into admin then liquidation?
Surely there would be no points deduction since sale would happen before administration. Same club same license.
Saint Stivs
You do need to register players properly, but if, perchance, you were to register for an under-14s team in good faith, with no dishonesty involved, perish the thought, and the football authorities accepted your registration, you would be registered to play, unless the authorities found out in decent time and then brought the small matter of your being nearer 40 than 14 (a guess) to the attention of your club and made your registration invalid.
Now, if you did something really serious, like miss out a box on the registration form by accident, it would be another matter altogether.
Time to stand up bhoys
Accept the verdict
Take being a mug paying your cash for a rigged set up
All this league re constructing to come under the sfl and sfa
Is the final piece in the jigsaw
Jam67
Sorry but I cant sit about waiting for more in depth discussion, a decent dissection all the while reading people knee jerk reactions
I do feel incredibly disappointed and look forward to gaining a deeper understanding of this verdict.
On first glance it seems a get out of jail free card has been drawn which to some extent is like being betrayed by those who run the game.
One question: I have to ask why LNS has said it hasn’t affected the registration but has not asked how it affected WHICH players were able to be registered.
THAT, to me, is where the true doping has occured. This verdict doesnt change that.
And one other thing this wont change: Celtic is in my blood. I’ll always stand by the team I love.
Okay still reeling but at the end of the day Sevco are playing their football in the 3rd dvision. European football is a must for them to get back to the top and the fact that they will have no seeding points makes this highly unlikely.
They have a chairman who is only in it for the money , investors who want there pound of flesh . They have no access to bank loans and are losing money at a time when ‘record’
attendances should ensure a profit.
Gentlemen , yes we are hurting , but the story isn’t over yet for them, the last 12 months has resulted in a story that has repeatedly given and I firmly believe will continue to give in the months and years ahead.
Unless they can find an investor who is willing to lose millions then there are many good chapters still to be read .
That’s me done with Scottish football.
The Nimmo Smith veridct and disposal of the case is quite simply shameful. How they can decide that there was no sporting advantage gained by the deliberate concealment of payments that made player contracts worth far more to all those players than would have been the case if those payments HAD been declared, is contrary to a basic application of common sense. Those payments were not disclosed because the directors at Ibrox knew that HMRC would otherwise have been all over them demanding payment of tax.
We are talking about deliberated, premeditated subversion of the rules for financial reasons directly relevant to the overall amount of money paid to players and the affordability of those players to the club. It automatically follows that sporting advantage was gained by such subversion of the rules of the game.
I will always love Celtic but I won’t pay to watch a sport in which cheats get away with cheating.
This is my 3rd attempt at this post , just cant get my head around this decision.
Just like to say its been a blast but enough is enough.
God bless Miki and wee oscar.
Au revoir .
Rouges–Rogues
timbhoy2
Fair enough your entitled to your opinion, Lenny’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but neither was wgs or Mon. Chill we’re AW just a bit fed up the day.
Bit of good news on Celtic web site
Travel info for Turin next week makes no mention of any booze ban as has been widely rumoured
I am out !! Not one penny will I spend in Scottish football, heartbroken. Only way I would come back is if my club challenge it and I think that legally it would nt be possible anyway .
owen coyle???
dont be silly.
the guy is a jobby..turned us down flat a few years ago when he was the ‘hot ticket’ down south.
talks utter shite AND finds a way of declaring the EPL the best league in the world everytime hes on the telly…..all in order to over-inflate his own modest achievments as a manager.
if your gonna call for neil lennons head,at least do him the service of coming up with a decentish replacement!!!!
Today the truth for you, your fathers and their fathers.
Damn right!
So the institution that stole quarter of a billion and 22 titles gets fined quarter of a million like I tellt all of ye.
And Ibrox that was claimed to be worth 150 mill is now Sevco’s for 5.
Good luck Celtic you’re gonna need it. I will always support you.
Football gets not one more penny from me though.
Paul67 Ogilvie should have been a sign.
Ntassoolla
12:58 on 28 February, 2013
Why did the jury not convict of assault?
There are many emotions I feel right now, but among them are most definitely not surprise nor a desire to walk away from Celtic.
My support of Celtic is in spite of Scottish Football not because of it. Rangers/ Sevco are the establishment team – always have been, always will be. Today tells us that as clearly as anything from the past.
In the context of our forebears, abandoning Celtic now would be to betray them.
Oscar Pretoriuos now requesting LNS as judge for his forthcoming trial.
WWF football has officially arrived. Took 100 years for it to become official. Why would anyone pay to watch a football match in Scotland without a sporting context ?
The club will have to accept the decision.
Fortunately I dont need too.
German football for me from now on unless our plc steps up to the plate.
Would be good to hear Brian Quinns thoughts.
HH