Uefa still on the pot on fixtures

668

Lots of frustration around today at the possibility the first leg of the Champions League qualifier will be switched to Belfast.  It will be no comfort to those who booked travel yesterday but we are in this situation every qualifying game.  The draw is made and confirmed a day or two later, which is why clubs (including Celtic) and CQN yesterday ran a “Don’t book travel until…” piece.  On most occasions nothing is changed which means fans are caught out when change happens.

No reason why Uefa can’t deal with this on the day of the game, or exclusively on the basis of strict criteria.  I hope they deny this request, which is not in Celtic’s favour and clearly not in fan’s best interest.

Two items to draw your attention to today:

Tommy Burns Skin Cancer Trust

Tommy Burns Skin Cancer Trust are undertaking a sponsored cycle of all SPL grounds this September in attempt to get to our £100k fundraising target. This money will be used to help on the battle to fight skin cancer working with organisations such as Beatson Cancer Centre. The event is called Tour for Tommy and will span 5 days, 12 clubs and 380 miles of cycling before returning to Celtic Park on Sunday 15th September. Ex-Celts such as Packie Bonner and Frank McGarvey are joining in as the full event and Bertie Auld will be completing the last day. The event is looking to team up with the fans of each club to join them on a leg from their stadium to the next.

The group have much of the logistics in place and most of the riders, but they need more help. Each of the four main days are being offered for sponsorship with day one already taken up. In return the 30-40 core riders will get their clothing made with that company’s logo as well as any signage on press releases at the stadiums among other benefits (full pack available upon request). The Tour has already received great coverage from Sky Sports with further commitment to track the whole event.

In addition the charity are looking for donations of anything from water bottles, energy bars/drinks to medical supplies and biking mechanical supplies.

If you are interested in getting involved in any way you can contact scottmcgarvey@gmail.com. You can donate here, follow on Facebook and twitter (@tommyburnsSCT).

I know many of you will be aware of the work done by Celtic fans for the people of Haiti as part of the Hoops For Haiti campaign.  This is another aspect of the incredible work done by Celtic fans and a credit to our club.  You can read their blog here and get involved here.

Heart of a Lion:


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  1. summa of sammi….

     

     

    02:59 on 26 June, 2013

     

    .

     

     

    Q. Does anyone know How much it costs to get Regestered as a Football Agent in Scotland..?

     

     

    And can it be Fast Tracked..?

     

     

    I was told a Story around the Jelavic time and trying to join the Dots..

     

     

    TIA

     

     

    Summa of AgentOrangeCSC

     

     

    —-

     

     

    Iv heard £100,000 mentioned before.

     

     

    Dunno how accurate this is.

  2. Hi Summa

     

     

    Was talking to a mate about this the other day.

     

     

    Professional Indemnity Insurance

     

     

    According to Article 9 of the FIFA Players’ Agents Regulations you will be required to get yourself professional indemnity insurance. Professional indemnity insurance is standard in business where you provide a service and is basically insurance which covers you business against claims for loss or damage by a client or a third party if you have made some mistakes or if you are found to have been negligent in relation to some or all of the services which you are contracted to provide.

     

     

    In this case the insurance is to cover you against claims of compensation from a player, club or another agent if you break FIFA Regulations.

     

     

    I was told that I would have to provide a bond to FIFA – is this still the case?

     

     

    It used to be the case that in order to become a football agent you would have to pay a £50,000 bond in order to protect yourself against claims from third parties. This how now been replaced with the requirement to obtain professional indemnity insurance.

     

     

    The above lifted from inbrief.co.uk

     

     

    HH

  3. Margaret McGill on

    Summa of Sammi….

     

     

    02:59 on 26 June, 2013

     

     

     

    Summa Jelavic joined Everton

  4. Margaret McGill on

    While a constant stream of leaked documents and tapes questioning the true nature of the relationship between former owner Craig Whyte and his successor Charles Green keeps the close season busy, the full story of the series of frauds committed at the Glasgow club before and after Whyte’s takeover in 2011 may need to await either a criminal trial or the civil actions against his former lawyers, Collyer Bristow. While nobody has yet been charged, the civil case is set for trial in October in the high court.

     

     

    The claimants are not just the original Rangers club, via its liquidators, but also the taxman, the Jerome pension fund trustees (Jerome is owned by Worthington Group, in which Whyte was major shareholder) and a company linked to Whyte’s former partner, Merchant House Group. The club is seeking £25m from Collyer Bristow, HMRC at least £2.8m, the pension fund almost £3m and Merchant Turnaround (where Whyte was a shareholder) £1m. To meet these claims, if it loses, Collyer Bristow has its professional indemnity insurance and a frozen £3.6m which survived the pillaging.

     

     

    The “oldco” Rangers claim against Collyer Bristow reveals that the Jerome trustees parted with £2.9m, a third of the pension fund, in early April 2011 – a month before Whyte agreed to buy Rangers from Sir David Murray. The money remained in the lawyer’s client account until two weeks before Rangers collapsed into administration in February 2012. It was a supposed secure loan for which the pension fund received no security.

     

     

    The Merchant Turnaround money and £24.3m paid to Collyer Bristow by Ticketus, in return for supposed season ticket income, was used by Whyte to repay LLoyds Bank £18m and take over the club. Ticketus has already won a judgement against Whyte for almost £18m.

     

     

    The Rangers claim also shows that more than £800,000 of the money provided to Collyer Bristow was used to pay its bills (more than £200,00) and those of other lawyers (including Carter-Ruck, £19,000), accountants (Saffrey Champness £61,000) and advisers (Cairn, £63,000), as well as Whyte’s associates Aiden Early (£250,000) and Phillip Betts (£225,000). Many of these were, it is claimed, debts of Whyte or his companions, rather than Rangers.

     

     

    Collyer Bristow’s defence is certain to be complicated by the position of lawyer Gary Withey, who was acting for Whyte but has now left the firm. he is accused of not only of misleading Murray and the club’s advisers but also of forging Whyte’s signature on a letter he witnessed as part of a conspiracy to damage the club.

     

     

    This will be investigated in detail come October – unless the police raids of two months ago turn into charges and result in the civil proceedings being delayed.

  5. It is 11:21 here in Canada and I just have to check in with CQN afore I go to bed. I don’t think you all realize how much all this patter means to us ex pats

  6. .

     

     

     

    margaret mcgill

     

     

    03:41 on 26 June, 2013

     

    Summa of Sammi….

     

     

    02:59 on 26 June, 2013

     

     

    Summa Jelavic joined Everton

     

     

    ..

     

     

    Mags..

     

     

    I think it was the 5th or 6th time I read that..When the Penny dropped..:-(

     

     

    Jeezo.. If the Opposite of Quick witted is Dim Witted.. What’s the Opposite of Witty..?

     

     

    Answers on a Postbox..【ツ】

     

     

    Summa of SenileDyslexicsCSC

  7. All sleeping, just woke, love that still a Tim feeling.

     

     

    Ayrshire is Green and White..

     

     

    HH

  8. A Stor Mo Chroi on

    I’d hate to steal the thunder of another but this is lifted from the end of Charlotte’s last post:

     

     

    For the record, it is my absolute belief that David Grier and MCR knew the source of funding prior to the takeover. Duff and Phelps seek comfort in that there is no audit trail. Sadly this will return to haunt them and of course deliver the proverbial boot up the arse that they have always feared to be coming.

     

     

    Perhaps BDO will add Duff and Phelps to the list of parties responsible for the losses incurred at RFC and raise a suitable action against them. For if they don’t, then the shareholders and creditors should consider taking that action.

     

     

    Maybe there is an opportunity there for Canamalar to parachute in on a consultancy basis and blag some of those fees that are being showered like confetti.

     

     

    I might be alone here but I’m buggered if I can fathom the indiscriminate approach Charlotte’s appears to favour when making public the subject matter that has been revealed so far.

     

     

    I don’t know if Charlotte is more a tactician at mind as opposed a strategist; or whether she feels that the constant drip, drip of toxic revelations will eventually negate any need for a successful ‘game plan’. There appears no logic in the order of revelations with the back stabbing structured simply to terrorise all involved to acute sphincter failure, or emigration, or both.

     

     

    However, if somebody can join the dots I’d sure be grateful if they’d concatenate them and spell it out in layman’s logic to us that are less calculating.

     

     

    So much information shining spotlights on both the transparent injustice and the protected malpractice; and only the one dead club.

  9. valentinesday on

    Good morning Timland.

     

     

    Time to sell Vic and Gary, they want to go, and

     

    if it drag’s on it could be disruptive to the start

     

    of our season.

  10. valentinesday

     

     

    06:13 on 26 June, 2013

     

    Good morning Timland.

     

     

    Time to sell Vic and Gary, they want to go, and

     

    if it drag’s on it could be disruptive to the start

     

    of our season.

     

     

     

     

    Agreed. We cant afford to lose them for nothing or nxt to nothing later down the line.

     

     

    Break my heart to see vic go.

     

     

    Another debate if we get 15m for both how much do you think lenny will get ?

     

     

    Has he blown his budget on virgil and balde ?

     

     

    Looks like it when we are considering offering contracts to mcfadden and that guy released by wolves.

  11. By ANGUS WRIGHT

     

    Published on 26/06/2013 00:23

     

     

    CELTIC last night insisted they had handled negotiations surrounding Victor Wanyama’s future “with integrity” after the midfielder’s agent said the Kenya international would not be forced into a move that did not suit him simply because it was good financially for the Parkhead club.

     

     

    Wanyama’s representative Ivan Modia was responding to reports claiming that Celtic had agreed a fee of around £12.5 million for the 21-year-old. Cardiff City are believed to be keen on taking him to the Barclays Premier League, while Arsenal have also been credited with an interest in him.

     

     

    However, Modia maintains there are no longer any talks with Southampton, and the player, who scored in the Celtic’s Champions League win over Barcelona last season and played a key role in securing a league and cup double for Neil Lennon’s side, is likely to look elsewhere.

     

     

    “We are not in talks with Southampton and have not been since their final offer of terms, which was more than two weeks ago,” Modia told Sky Sports. “The news of the fee being agreed may just be coming out now, but we see little sense in a fee being agreed if there is no reasonable prospect of the player’s terms being met.

     

     

    “To suggest we are talking with Southampton is totally false, their offer was way below Victor’s expectations. There is no chance of him signing the deal on offer and, in fact, both Celtic and Southampton were informed of this some time ago.

     

     

    “The player will not be forced into a corner to accept the Southampton deal, just because it is good for Celtic. Remember, he has been with the club for two years now – without a pay rise – and has given them wonderful service ever since he arrived. Added to this is the fact that, by Celtic refusing him permission to join Queens Park Rangers last summer, Victor lost more than £1 million in potential salary earnings – yet he just

     

     

    kept his mouth shut and continued to be a model professional. Many other players may not have adopted this attitude in the circumstances.”

     

     

    Wanyama, signed by Celtic from Belgian side Beerschot in 2011, will now take some time to decide on his future for next

     

     

    season. “We know there is interest from elsewhere and Victor is obviously open to those prospects – he is currently back in Kenya and hopes that Celtic will adopt a more reasonable approach and take into account the service that he has given the club so far and the rest of these issues,” the player’s agent added.

     

     

    “Nobody at Celtic can question his attitude and he is hopeful he can leave on good terms with the club.

     

     

    “He loves the club and its fans, he’s played his heart out for the jersey, but he didn’t quite expect that it may end like this.”

     

     

    However, Celtic later responded to Modia’s comments and defended their handling of the situation. A spokesperson said: “These negotiations like any others are carried out by Celtic in a proper, private and professional manner. Celtic carries out its business with integrity, we work to the highest standards and in the interests of the club, our supporters and indeed our players. We do not need to comment any further on this matter.”

  12. And the agents of midfielder Wanyama, 21, want Southampton to pay them £1m as part of his £12m move to Saints.

  13. The Boy Jinky on

    Lionsroar

     

     

    If vic agrees with his agent…. drop him… train with the kids… until he goes in january

  14. Jonny the Tim –

     

     

    If you’re lurking, many thanks for your advice re the Samsung Galaxy S3 page refresh.

     

     

    Worked a treat.

     

     

    Much appreciated my friend.

     

     

    Hail Hail.

  15. The Boy Jinky

     

    06:42 on

     

    26 June, 2013

     

     

    Cut the player a bit of slack mate

     

     

    What about good ole Angus the hack who never told the readers of the hootsman about the parasite agents demands, of course that what put an entirely different slant on the story

     

     

    Time to kick the SMSM out, press releases only

  16. valentinesday on

    The Boy Jinky

     

     

    I know where your coming from pal………but

     

    honestly it would be best for the club to get

     

    him oot the door.

  17. Good morning friends from a gloriously bright, clear skied and sunny East Kilbride.

  18. The Boy Jinky on

    Valentines

     

     

    Thats what I meant … out the door or training with the kids.

     

     

    Lionsroar

     

    Check the first line of my post… if vic agrees with his agent.

  19. .

     

     

    It was only about 5-6 Weeks ago Victors Agent said he had spoke to Victors parents and if he Did not get his Dream move to Arsenal he would advise Vic and his Parents that he should sit tight at Celtic..

     

     

    What has happened in they 5-6 Weeks..????

     

     

    Summa

  20. The Boy Jinky on

    Jobo

     

     

    Father morton made an announcement at Saturday morning mass that one of our parishioners was 90 that day

     

     

    Apparently the man was his maths teacher many moons ago…

  21. Ghood Morning Celts

     

     

    I had to laugh at some of the points being made about – James McFadden last night :)

     

     

    “….he’s already had the chance to join us – he shouldny get another !!!”

     

     

    Oh yeah – So, where does that place Tony stokes then ?

     

     

    Sumdy else opined that – “McFadden couldny dae whit Paddy McCourt can dae !?!?!”

     

     

    What is that PM does ?

     

     

    Scores goals against – St Mirren / ICT / RC etc….. Aye – right.

     

     

    Paddy McCourt has probably got a lot of talent but – whit good is that if he canny get himself fit enough to show it ?

     

     

    If PM is fit enough then who is keeping this genius oot the team ?

     

     

    What a pile of p#sh. imo

     

     

    5 years at Celtic FC and yer still no fit enough to get intae the 1st team ?

     

     

    Pat McCourt was a drain on resources for 5 years and that – is down to…

     

    …Bad management / cronyism / cliques / sympathy ? Maybe all of those ?

     

     

    Get McFadden in and let the tricks oot of the bag :)

     

    HH

  22. valentinesday on

    Off tae the coal face for a bit of graft……I’ll

     

    be dae in more the my fair share…….I work

     

    wae a bunch of lazy freeloading hun’s.

  23. The Boy Jinky

     

    06:59 on

     

    26 June, 2013

     

     

    yer a hard man, i wouldn’t be tough on Vic, he is caught between the proverbial rock and hard place in terms of what he says

     

     

    At 22 and someone is waving millions of pound notes in front of you……………………

  24. valentinesday

     

     

    07:01 on 26 June, 2013

     

    ___________________

     

    Put in a guid honest shift and show those pesky huns how it’s done M8 :)

     

    Hail Hail n Guid Lhuck

  25. How can Vic’s agent complain about Celtic refusing to allow him to join QPR last summer? Celtic hold the player’s contract and have every right to turn down interest from another club, especially with a Champions League campaign imminent. He then praises VIC for “being a professional” and “keeping his mouth shut” about it. What was he supposed to do, run to the media and abuse Celtic for holding him back?

     

     

    Also, Celtic offered Vic a 100% wage rise and a new contract. Is the agent really suggesting that Celtic should have simply given him a wage rise WITHOUT asking him to sign a new ontract? What planet is this guy living in?

     

     

    Sounds to me like he is reacting badly to being found out over the 1m pound cut he demanded from Southampton and is trying to divert the flak onto Celtic.

     

     

    No wonder agents get a bad name.

  26. sponsored by cheetah

     

     

    01:08 on 26 June, 2013Just a wee mention for my big school buddy. Stuart was ordained a priest last night, the only one in Scotland this year. Beautiful mass last night in The Cathedral followed by mass tonight in St. Brigids, Toryglen. His message tonight was, treat me the way you want to be treated, irregardless of religion. So proud of big Stuart Reynolds.

     

     

    Don’t know the new Fr Reynolds, but best wishes to him and prayers for his vocation.

     

     

    Made me smile, thank god we still have people who make such a commitment

  27. Re: Vic

     

     

    “Celtic refusing him permission to join Queens Park Rangers last summer, Victor lost more than £1 million in potential salary earnings – yet he just kept his mouth shut and continued to be a model professional”

     

     

    “He loves the club and its fans, he’s played his heart out for the jersey, but he didn’t quite expect that it may end like this.”

     

     

    Wasn’t Vic given a slap on the wrist and told not to discuss contractual matters by Celtic last year for talking about possible transfers with the media so keeping his mouth shut is true only on the basis he was ordered to “shut up” by Celtic.

     

    Did he lose a 1 million pounds by not moving to QPR? Now if Vic isn’t inclined to move to Southampton why would he have considered moving to QPR they are clubs of similar standing both EPL regulation fodder was it due to the money on offer and not the respective clubs prestige. If money is the issue why didn’t he sign a contract extension that was on offer? If i were Vic’s agent i would be thinking very carefully about what i said a lot of managers will be put off signing young players with ‘potential’, remember Vic is far from the finished article, if they are deemed to be a Prima Donna. Perhaps Vic’s agent should be telling him to be patient sign a contract extension with Celtic with a ‘ 12 million’ release clause continue to improve and impress on the football pitch and wait for the ‘right club’ to come along rather than making the player seem like an ungrateful money hungry asshole.

     

     

    He has been with Celtic for a very short period and yet seems to insist, through his agent, that he should be given preferential treatment due to his past services for the club. I know that all this BS is coming from his agent, a person driven only by his own personal interests, however i assume that he must have spoken to Vic prior to releasing such a statement and if this is the case we really need to get rid of VW as soon as possible.

  28. By Keith McLeod

     

    Rangers takeover tapes reveal secret talks between Ibrox money men on selling shares to fraudster on Interpol’s most-wanted list

     

     

    26 Jun 2013 06:53

     

    FINANCE chief Brian Stockbridge is heard on the recordings from last summer talking to disgraced former owner Craig Whyte and axed commercial director Imran Ahmad about selling £5m worth of shares to Rafat Rizvi – who is wanted for “corruption, money laundering and banking crime” according to Interpol.RANGERS’ finance chief Brian Stockbridge discussed selling £5million of shares in the club to a convicted fraudster on Interpol’s most wanted list.

     

     

    Stockbridge is heard on tape talking to former Rangers owner Craig Whyte and the club’s axed commercial director Imran Ahmad about a possible cash injection from Rafat Rizvi, who is being pursued by police.

     

     

    Interpol’s website carries a red notice international alert stating that Rizvi, 52, is wanted for “corruption, money laundering and banking crime” over his alleged role in the collapse of a bank in Indonesia.

     

     

    The alert asks anyone with any information about his whereabouts or activities to contact police.

     

     

    Last night, the Rangers Supporters Trust said the revelation that Rizvi was involved in talks was “highly disturbing”.

     

     

    They called for fans to be told who has invested in Rangers and said: “We need to ensure the club have been cleansed of unwanted influences.”

     

     

    Rangers insist Rizvi has made no investment in the club – but the fact that someone on Interpol’s wanted list was even discussed has prompted concern among fans.

     

     

    The Record has listened to two hours of recordings that have been leaked on to the internet, where they are openly available to be heard.

     

     

    During the taped discussions, Stockbridge and Ahmad thrash out a multi-million pound deal in London with shamed former owner Whyte.

     

     

    The recorded meeting – which took place before the attempt to save Rangers from liquidation last summer – appears to show that Rizvi’s cash was going to be used to help finance Charles Green’s ultimately successful Ibrox takeover. Green has subsequently left the club.

     

     

    At one point, Ahmad brags: “At the moment, what I’ve taken so far is actually £5.5million from Rafat now.”

     

     

    At the time, Stockbridge was being lined up as the next man in charge of Rangers’ finances. The 39-year-old, who was appointed Rangers’ finance director in June last year, says on the tape that Rizvi is a “nice guy”.

     

     

    He is also heard discussing Rizvi’s previous business dealings.

     

     

    Speaking about a firm Rizvi was involved with, Stockbridge says: “Rafat was CEO of the company. He then had his troubles … Rafat sort of stepped down.”

     

     

    The tape also includes discussion, involving Stockbridge, about the damage it might do to Rangers if Rizvi’s involvement was made public.

     

     

    Stockbridge says: “How widely is it known? Rafat’s name is not mentioned anywhere, is it?”

     

     

    Ahmad replies: “No, it is.” Stockbridge says: “You could get a headline saying, you know, ‘Convicted…’”

     

     

    Ahmad then says: “In Indonesia it is like being convicted of something

     

    in Pakistan. You know, he may not necessarily be guilty.

     

     

    “He’s not nicked £600million. When we go out for lunches with him, we know. If someone has nicked £600million, they wouldn’t struggle to pick up lunch.”

     

     

    Stockbridge says: “We don’t need this coming out. This is just…”

     

     

    But Ahmad assures Stockbridge “there’s no paper trails” linking Rizvi to Rangers and adds: “There’s no connection.”

     

     

    Stockbridge says: “If someone starts digging in there…”

     

     

    But Ahmad interrupts and repeats: “There’s no connection. Charles is going to have to decide to say what he says. I’m not going to coach him. Personally, I’d tell the truth. Yeah, you know, I’ve worked with Rafat in the past, I’ve never acted for him while he was CEO but the company I took on he had to step down from as CEO because he was in disgrace.”

     

     

    Stockbridge then asks Ahmad how to deal with any possible questions from the media about Rizvi’s

     

    involvement behind the scenes.

     

     

    He asks: “What happens if someone asks if he’s involved in this deal?” Ahmad replies: “No. An absolute straight no.”

     

     

    The meeting ends with Whyte agreeing to sell control to the Green/Ahmad consortium in a deal which would have seen him pocket up to £5million worth of shares.

     

     

    Green has subsequently insisted he was stringing Whyte along so he could get his shares — a plan he

     

    says changed when the club were liquidated and Whyte’s shares

     

    were no longer needed.

     

     

    In the recordings, Ahmad claims Rizvi “and his mates” were prepared to plough about £5million into the deal to buy Rangers after the club had been wrecked by Whyte.

     

     

    It is agreed by all three that Rizvi’s identity must remain confidential. Ahmad says to Whyte: “Let’s just say an association with you is much better than an association with Rafat.”

     

     

    Rizvi features on Interpol’s wanted persons list under the name Ali Rafat Rizvi – and has done since 2009.

     

     

    He was sentenced, in absentia, to a 15-year jail term in Indonesia for allegedly stealing from Bank Century, in which he was a shareholder.

     

     

    But Rizvi, a UK national who was born in Pakistan, has been able to live as a free man in London and Singapore as there is no extradition treaty with Indonesia.

     

     

    Rizvi insists he is innocent and has claimed the charges are trumped up and politically motivated.

     

     

    He had previous business links with Ahmad and Stockbridge dating back to when the pair worked for London finance firm Allenby Capital.

     

     

    He is also a friend and business partner of Green, who took his place on the board of Mongolia-based company Nova Resources.

     

     

    During the discussions, Whyte asks Ahmad: “So Charles and Rafat are closer than you and Rafat?” Ahmad replies: “I’d say the relationship is equal.”

     

     

    Ahmad also insists that both he and Stockbridge will team up behind the scenes at Ibrox to act in Whyte’s interests. He says: “You should regard us as your reps. We’ll be totally dispassionate. No loyalties to Charles or Rafat.”

     

     

    Stockbridge says of Rizvi: “He’s a nice guy. I speak to him but I wouldn’t do a deal with him.”

     

     

    And Ahmad adds: “We’ll take his money but that’s it.”

     

     

    He then claims to have already banked £5.5million from Rizvi.

     

     

    Whyte asks: “Is that £5.5million?”

     

     

    Ahmad continues: “It’s not all from him. Five from Rafat and his mates. I think what Rafat’s done is taken £50,000 of cheap shares himself and he’s loaded his mates with £4.5million worth of expensive shares – because you know there were two classes (of shares)?”

     

     

    Whyte and Ahmad then thrash out the terms of their own agreement. Ahmad says to Whyte: “I’d actually rather you have a controlling stake in it. Rather than the Rafat and f****** Charles Green show.”

     

     

    Whyte says: “Yeah, exactly. That was always the intention. Let’s face it, we might need to ditch them at some point.”

     

     

    Ahmad laughs and agrees: “We definitely need to ditch them.”

     

     

    Later, Whyte stresses the need for secrecy about his own involvement and that of Rizvi.

     

     

    He says: “I’m just thinking if things come out, if Rafat’s name comes up or if my involvement comes out…”

     

     

    Ahmad replies: “I’ll just say it’s absolutely nothing to do with me, speak to Charles (laughs all round). Charles has got a lot more association with him than me in terms of he’s actually bought a company with Rafat.”

     

     

    Ahmad later predicts – accurately, as it turned out – that Green will not last a year in the role of chief executive.

     

     

    He says: “Charles will f*** himself. He won’t be able to help himself. He’ll be like a kid in a candy shop. He’ll get absolutely burnt alive there.”

     

     

    The group then go on to discuss cashing in on the club’s best players – citing the sale of Nikica Jelavic to Everton for £5million.

     

     

    Whyte claims he had little choice but to cash in on the Croat.

     

     

    He says: “The problem with Jelavic was, everybody was annoyed that we sold him but he basically refused to play. He downed tools.”

     

     

    Whyte adds of Gers manager Ally McCoist: “McCoist said, ‘Just sell him’. McCoist is useless. McCoist is f****** useless…”

     

     

    Stockbridge has declined to make any on-the-record comments about the recordings and the issues they raise. Rangers insist Stockbridge met Whyte only on one

     

    occasion and that there are no links between the pair.

     

     

    An Ibrox spokesman said last night: “An independent forensic inquiry has been conducted inside Ibrox and the club and management have been cleared to carry on with their business.”

     

     

    The spokesman added: “Brian Stockbridge has not had and does not have connections to Rafat Rizvi.”

     

     

    Mark Dingwall, of the Rangers Supporters Trust, said last night: “Although both Charles Green and Imran Ahmad claimed they were only playing Craig Whyte along in order to obtain his shares, the content of the tapes of discussions led by Ahmad are highly disturbing, particularly with regard to the proposed involvement of Whyte and Rizvi.

     

     

    “As Ally McCoist has said, we need to ensure the club has been cleansed of unwanted influences.

     

     

    “The identities of the beneficial

     

    shareholders – in some cases hidden behind lawyers offices or holding companies around the world – have been disclosed to the SFA and we see no reason why Stewart Regan knows who owns parts of Rangers yet the fans who fund the club are kept in the dark.”

  29. .

     

     

    Breaking News..

     

     

    Gillard calls Kevin Rudd’s bluff in a Winner takes All Vote at 7pm tonight EST..

     

     

    The Looser has to retire from Politics..

     

     

    Did l hear that Correct..?

     

     

    Summa

  30. Interesting that the by-line is Keith McLeod online, yet in the copy I saw it says Exclusive by Keith Jackson.