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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jimmci
I know where you’re coming from. However some of the players were just not matching Motherwell’s commitment imo.
Rogne seemed half hearted, Izzy fast asleep – twice! Stokes invisible, Rogic not ready yet, I thought Commons was ok actually. Forest excellent.
Also Ledley. First name on the team sheet for me.
A gripe I have is Fx2 hoofing the ball down the park. Apart from Forest the ball was bouncing back off players something chronic or was being won in the air effortlessly by their defenders. We have good ball playing full backs. Get the ball out wide and work it up.
Oh, and sign Higdon. 18 goals for a big brute of a centre forward. Whats not to like. We dont have that option at the moment. A far more physical player than Murphy, Lassad etc.
HH
starry plough
10:25 on 28 February, 2013
_______________________________
I xxxxx you back :o)
Off oot
The 1st sign of the whitewash is in
Chris McLaughlin @BBCchrismclaug
#Rangers will not be stripped of league titles. More to follow… #BBCSport
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Paul67
Powerful stuff – agree totally that the Commission are 100% impartial
We should accept/abide by their decision.
An opportunity for a fresh start- will the football authorities take it?
HH
gillian i scream
She’s a leftie and very good. Top marks!
Guitars are more expensive though!
2 mins Chris McLaughlin @BBCchrismclaug
#Rangers will not be stripped of league titles. More to follow… #BBCSport
Details
Huns not stripped of titles according to BBC
D-day for Rangers as club awaits verdict over title-stripping
The SPL will not receive the written judgment until 10am, with the publication embargoed until midday. Herald Sport understands that Rangers will also receive the report at the same time, and there is a right of appeal to the Scottish Football Association. However, the SPL are not expected to hold a press conference since Neil Doncaster, the chief executive, is out of the country on business.
Richard Wilson, The Herald
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/d-day-for-rangers-as-club-awaits-verdict-over-title-stripping.20375636
90 mins to go!
Pogue,
LNS decided in his preliminary findings that newco have sn interest as they are now the owners of the club that was Rangers . I understand newco was represented at the hearings. As newco have never been members of the SPL I don’t see how they can be fined or whatever but it would appear to be the case
Chris McLaughlin on BBC say they wont be stripped of the titles
#coverup
Starry Plough said:
“Beram wasn’t the worst last night by a long chalk”
He was.
JJ
90 minutes till time up.
Hope Paul has fed his hamsters to keep the old servers running.
Nimmo Smith to score at the death.:-)
WTF does Chris McLaughlin know? He’s been wrong almost everytime he’s tweeted on this matter! Hope he still is!
If Chris McLaughlin on twitter is right then what was the point in the LNS enquiry? We all know they are guilty, but they have been let off.
#joke
I imagine Traynor’s floor is littered with crumpled up bits of paper as he tries to pen his defining piece, tries to inject more rage and outrage than ever before in words of 3 syllables or less.
if rangers are not stripped of titles paul67 do you think thats a fair judgement? will you not question it?
How do the bbc know, I smell a rat. I smell lots of em.
.
Thought tomorrow was 1st of March Not April..
Name the Manager..
This is all spearheaded by a man you simply couldn’t buy, such is his desire, his passion and integrity for the club and the game, ******* also is learning…**** although far from being a finished article in management, has sailed some rough sea’s these past few years but especially so when he took over the helm.
Fact is, ******* reign at ******** is unprecedented, no manager has had to go through that which he’s met with pride, class and humility. A man who stands pitch side and looks all opposition players in the eyes and shakes their hands win, lose or draw…..and what do we do ? spit the dummy out…….yeah.
Summa of MysteryManaGersCSC
I have spoken to a number of supporters of different clubs in here this morning and the game is up if the titles are not stripped.
Judgement Day
LB
Ten Men Won The League
10:28 on
28 February, 2013
The 1st sign of the whitewash is in
Chris McLaughlin @BBCchrismclaug
#Rangers will not be stripped of league titles. More to follow… #BBCSport
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This is also the first sign that they will be found guilty.
Jungle Jim
Worse than Ambrose, Commons, Stokes, Forrest, Emilio and Adam??
Or is he just this season’s Sammi???
SevCo received the judgement at 10am.
Hence why Chris McLaughlin knows.
The huns and the SPL will have the judgement by now. Would it be a surprise if a journalist had seen it too??
This will be Chris McLaughlin that has always been 100% accurate with his tweets. I expect the ruling to be many, many pages long and it will take time to digest them, could wrong though.
Those who post that if the verdict is “not guilty” then we must abide by the decision etc… are appealling for a continuation of the corruption that is rife in Scotland.
EVERYONE knows the truth.
All that is happening today is that a panel of judges have been asked to pass an official judgement.
The truth is already out.
Big Nan,
I hope you’re right about LNS.
My bit of Fife has had glorious sunshine and no fog.
Fife – a kingdom with a whole climate to itself.
I can’t see Rangers having titles stripped. I am sure they will be found guilty in some capacity but I share Paul’s concern
“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.”
I expect a muddied, confusing verdict and sanctions. Essentially rangers slipping off the hook. Nothing to see here timmy…
Is it true that Lance Armstrong has requested an SPL commission and an Edinburgh jury??
Jungle Jim
If they are guilty then the titles have to be stripped.
It’s the whitewash i predicted it to be.
Dismal in Dunfermline
Jungle Jim @ 10.34 – good point.
SoT,
Feel the same as you about Naples; it’s had a bad press – like Glasgow.
If the decision has been disclosed earlier to “thems” and the SPL, there’s a good chance someone in the inside has leaked it to their favourite MSM operative!
Masonry in action!
R5 just announced that no titles to be stripped.
RIP Scottish Fitba…
Chris McLaughlin @BBCchrismclaug
#Rangers will not be stripped of league titles. More to follow… #BBCSport
5Live says “No stripping of titles” at dead club!
Graham Spiers @GrahamSpiers
I’ve not yet seen Nimmo Smith reasons but am glad of bulletin of no title stripping for Rangers. What a ludicrous mess that would have been.
Pr*ck