Fair Play at FIFA?

The following post comes about as a result of the research and work put in by Auldheid.

He has drafted the submission to FIFA detailed below after closely looking at their rules, and taking on board the points contained in the Glasnost “Golden Rule” blog. TSFM has attached the blog’s name to the report since the overwhelming – but not unanimous – view of our readership is that the SFA and the SPL have again gotten themselves into an almighty and embarrassingly amateur fankle over this issue.

We believe that tens of thousands of football fans will be lost to the game if the outcome of the LNS enquiry is not perceived to be commensurate with the scope and extent of the rule breaking that LNS found had taken place. In view of this, we believe that we have to do what we can to explore all possibilities for justice for those who love the game so much and yet are utterly disillusioned by recent events.

LNS is not being questioned here. He has found that RFC were guilty as charged by the SPL.

What is being questioned is the SFA’s crucial – and seemingly conflicted  – role in the LNS enquiry, as is the effectiveness of LNS’s recommended sanction as either a deterrent or an upholder of sporting integrity.

It came to our notice last week that FIFA have created a web site at

https://www.bkms-system.net/bkwebanon/report/clientInfo?cin=6fifa61&language=eng

that tells us that FIFA have implemented a regulatory framework which is intended to ensure that all statutory rules, rules of conduct and internal guidelines of FIFA are respected and complied with.

In support of that regulatory framework FIFA have set up the above site as a reporting mechanism by means of which inappropriate behaviour and infringements of the pertinent regulations may be reported.

FIFA say that their jurisdiction encompasses misconduct that (1) relates to match manipulation; (2) occurs in or affects more than one confederation, so that it cannot adequately be addressed by a single confederation; or (3) would ordinarily be addressed by a confederation or association, but, under the particular facts at issue, has not been or is unlikely to be dealt with appropriately at that level.

Discussions arising from the previous blog on TSFM, “Gilt Edged Justice”, which was published after Lord Nimmo Smith (LNS) ruled on the registration of Rangers players who had contractual side letters that were not disclosed to the SFA as part of their registration, suggest that there may be possible unfortunate consequences for football arising from the evidence presented by the SFA to the LNS enquiry that informed its findings on registration and consequent eligibility. There is also a question of the propriety of the SFA providing evidence on an issue which could have had a negative impact on them had it been found that they had failed to carrying out their registration duties with due rigour over a period of ten years when the existence of EBTs was known to officials within the SFA.

On the basis that the LNS findings require that registration rules be clarified by FIFA and rewritten globally if necessary to remove any ambiguity and under clause 3 above, this appears to be an issue that the FIFA should examine and that the SFA cannot address.

The following report has therefore been submitted by TSFM on behalf of its readers to FIFA drawing on the content and debate following the “Gilt Edged Justice” blog in respect of the possible footballing consequences of the LNS enquiry.

The hope is that by speaking for so many supporters, FIFA will give the TSFM submission some weight, but individuals are free of course to make their own points in their own way.  We await acknowledgement of the submission.

The report Submitted to FIFA is as follows;

This report was prepared on behalf of the 10,000-strong readership of The Scottish Football Monitor at http://scottishfootballmonitor.wordpress.com/
It is our belief that FIFA general rules of conduct were breached by the SFA and their employees in both creating and then advising The Lord Nimmo Smith (LNS) enquiry into the non disclosure of full payment information to the Scottish Football Association (SFA) by Rangers F.C during a period of player registration over 10 years from 2000.

We believe that although the issue has been addressed by the SFA the particular facts at issue suggest that it has not been dealt with appropriately and we therefore ask FIFA to investigate. The facts at issue are that the process and advice given failed to uphold sporting integrity, and that a conflict of interest was at play.

We believe the advice provided and the enquiry set up, where SFA both advised and is the appellant body, breaches not only the integrity the registration rules were intended to uphold, but also totally undermines the integrity of the SFA in breach of General Conduct rules 1, 2 and 4. (See below.)

1.  Firstly we believe that the advice supplied to LNS that an incorrectly registered player was eligible to play as long as the registration was accepted by the SFA however unwittingly, undermines the intent of the SPL/SFA rules on player registration and so undermines the integrity of football in three ways.

• It incentivises clubs to apply for a player to be registered even if they know that the conditions of registration are not satisfied, in the hope that the application will somehow ‘slip through the net’ and be granted anyway (in which case it will be valid until revoked).

• A club which discovers that it has made an error in its application is incentivized to say nothing and to ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ – because it would be in a better position by not confessing its mistake.

• And most importantly, it incentivises fraud.  By deliberately concealing relevant information, a club can ensure that a player who does not satisfy the registration conditions is treated as being eligible – and therefore allowed to play – for as long as a period as possible (potentially his entire spell with the club). Then, if the club is no longer around when the deception is finally discovered, imposing meaningful sanctions may be impossible.

2.   Secondly we believe the process followed was inappropriate due to a Conflict of Interest. Had the LNS enquiry not ruled on the basis of advice supplied by The SFA, they and those persons advising the LNS enquiry, could have been subjected to censure and the SFA to potential compensation claims had LNS found that the players were indeed ineligible to play and results then been annulled as was SFA practice when an ineligible player played.

3.  Finally we contend that a law should not be applied according to its literal meaning if to do so would lead to an absurdity or a manifest injustice or in this case loss of football integrity.
See http://glasnostandapairofstrikers.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/gilt-edged-justice/

4. We therefore ask FIFA to investigate both the process used and advice given to Lord Nimmo Smith to satisfy themselves that FIFA’s intentions with regard to upholding the integrity of football under FIFA rules have not been seriously damaged by the LNS findings and also to reassure Scottish football supporters that the integrity of our game has not been sacrificed by the very authority in whose care it has been placed to promote the short term cause of commercialism to the games long term detriment.

General Rules of Conduct (These are taken from the FIFA web site itself and can be found as part of completing the submission process)

1. Persons bound by this Code are expected to be aware of the importance of their duties and concomitant obligations and responsibilities.

2. Persons bound by this Code are obliged to respect all applicable laws and regulations as well as FIFA’s regulatory framework to the extent applicable to them.

3. N/A

4. Persons bound by this Code may not abuse their position in any way, especially to take advantage of their position for private aims or gains.

This entry was posted in General by Trisidium. Bookmark the permalink.
Tom Byrne

About Trisidium

Trisidium is a Dunblane businessman with a keen interest in Scottish Football. He is a Celtic fan, although the demands of modern-day parenting have seen him less at games and more as a taxi service for his kids.

4,057 thoughts on “Fair Play at FIFA?


  1. Quality post Humble Pie.
    You know,that’s what I like about TSFM.On the one hand you have posts like HPs which take a forensic look at the machinations of all the shady individuals in this shameful saga and present it in a fashion that the lees ‘wordy’ of us are able to understand.On the other hand,we have contributions that take a lighter view of the world.Where else would you get the Saxe Coburgs,J Edgar Hoover,and Noam Chomsky hand in hand with Jaffa Cakes,Yorkies and Empire Biscuits.
    Love it!


  2. Interesting points made by Roddy Forsyth in today’s Telegraph.

    The Police investigation into the takeover involves the principal figures. Can we infer that (S)DM is one of those figures?

    Also the Chairman of the Club has refused to answer questions put to him by the Telegraph. The article notes that there is likely to be a Board meeting next Tuesday.


  3. Rabo Karabekian says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 01:53

    Caveat Emptor says:

    Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 23:57
    Empire Biscuits, previously known as German Biscuits. The name change was, I believe, entirely due to a tidal wave of ‘patriotic fervour’ at the outbreak of WW1. Glad we didn’t declare war on Mars!!
    __________________________________________________

    German biscuits, invented and named by the City Bakeries (Walter Hubbard & Co) which were around in Glasgow until the 80s I think, were renamed Empire Biscuits after the outbreak of WW1 since names associated with “the hun” were deemed unpatriotic.

    At the same time, and for the same reason, the Saxe-Coburgs became the Windsors to sound a little less German. Strange but true: Do you know you can’t get an Empire Biscuit in Greggs on a Monday?
    —————————————————————————————————————————-

    Biscuits all round for that. But one curious thing about German/Empire Biscuits is that the name never ever changed in Belfast and Norn Ireland where they are still known to this day as German Biscuits.

    Indeed no opprobrium is attached to them and when Rory McIlroy won the US Open Championship Skinner’s Bakery in Holywood, McIlroy’s hometown, baked 300 German biscuits bearing the PGA champion’s face.

    I haven’t a clue why the anomaly came about but there’s possibly a history lesson which seems especially apt for an area big on its history. No matter how horrendous the circumstances of World War 1 which even caused a humble biscuit to be almost universally renamed because of hatred attaching to anything German.

    But my problem is, back in 1914 Belfast, did tradition trump history in the sense that the old ways had to be retained and maintained no matter the utter upheaval that was taking place in the present. I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this curious anomaly?


  4. Long Time Lurker says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 08:14

    The article notes that there is likely to be a Board meeting next Tuesday.
    ————————————————–
    Tuesday 16 April – Rangers board meeting. Any bad news would make the newsprint versions of newspapers on Wednesday.
    Wednesday 17 April – Thatcher funeral. Newspapers filled up with news and comment about that, all other stories (short of Korea going nuts with a nuclear weapon) relegated accordingly.


  5. Tom Farmery

    Published at 12:01AM, April 12 2013

    Craig Whyte, the former Rangers owner, last night shrugged off the threat of legal action after it emerged that police had raided one of his properties in connection with an investigation into the takeover of the club two years ago.

    Sources close to the Monaco-based businessman revealed that Mr Whyte “could not for the life of him think what he has done wrong” and said that he had no contact with police before they raided his home in the Highlands on Wednesday.

    The Times has reported that Mr Whyte, who acquired the Ibrox club in May 2011 for £1, could face action under company law after he admitted completing his takeover by using the £20 million proceeds from the Ticketus finance company for the advance sale of Rangers season tickets.

    Two senior legal authorities said that the purchase appeared to have been a breach of the Companies Act.

    The Act prohibits a public company and its directors from giving “financial assistance” in connection with the purchase of its own shares.

    “Financial assistance is a broad concept and is designed to catch instances where a company’s assets are used as collateral, security or other means to finance or facilitate the sale of the company,” a senior legal figure said.

    “The advance sale of Rangers’ season tickets to Ticketus could be regarded as financial assistance in connection with Mr Whyte’s purchase of shares in Rangers where the season ticket sales’ proceeds seem to have been used to repay Rangers’ Lloyds Bank debt of the overall deal.”

    According to a spokesperson for Mr Whyte, only one of his properties, Castle Grant in Moray, was searched under warrant. Police sources said that a number of properties were visited as part of the investigation into the purchase of Rangers in May 2011 from Sir David Murray.

    A police spokesperson said: “Police Scotland carried out a number of searches under warrant in Scotland and England in relation to the ongoing investigation regarding the acquisition of Rangers Football Club in 2011.

    “These searches related to both domestic and business premises. This remains an ongoing investigation and no further information can be provided at this stage.”

    The raid on Mr Whyte’s home came after the former Rangers owner was ordered to pay £17.7 million to Ticketus after losing a claim against the firm. The 42-year-old has until April 26 to challenge the High Court’s decision and intends to do so.

    The Scottish Football Association has written to Charles Green, the current chief executive of Rangers, seeking clarification about his business dealings with his predecessor at the club.

    “We have to seek the facts and that’s what we’ve done,” said Stewart Regan, SFA chief executive.

    The Times has learnt that Mr Whyte claims that he first met the former finance director of Rangers, Imran Ahmad, four years before the 2011 deal to buy the club was struck.

    A source close to Mr Whyte insists that he was was only introduced to Mr Green last May, just weeks before the old Rangers club was liquidated.

    The source said a relationship between the pair no longer exists.
    The former owner, who is taking out a £50 million legal action against Mr Green and Mr Ahmad, wants “the companies that were transferred, transferred back”, including properties such as the stadium and training ground that he allegedly lost, according to a source.


  6. Long interview with Ahmad defending Green as no racist with pics of Green wheeled-out holding Imran’s baby to prove he isn’t a racist.

    Seems an private school upbringing prepared Ahmad for being able to deal with a little unpleasantness.

    However, lots of interesting stuff such as the two of them have been doing deals together for 10 years. I wonder what the deals were and whether Panceltica might have been one of them. They have also known each other for 15 years.

    Funny I had always thought that Zeus capital had introduced Imram to Green early last year or was the word ‘introduced’ used as in a business sense and not as in meeting for the first time. The old statements might provide some answers.

    But Scotsman reporting that Green will also face charges on the Radio Clyde ‘No Surrender’ disgrace. Seems he didn’t learn anything from his last appearance before the SFA on the ‘Bigoterie’ charge possibly because they didn’t actually hand-out any punishment.

    On next Tuesday’s RIFC Plc board meeting it’s obvious what needs to be done and would be done if the NEDS acted in the best interests of the shareholders. Will it happen – personally I doubt it as the Institutional guys need time to get their clients’ money out by shedding their shares without causing a slump in price.

    And a final word from Imran on Green: “I’d say he has turned Rangers into the most cash rich, stable club in the whole of the UK.”

    And a final word on Whyte – btw he doesn’t explain how wee craigie had his mum’s bank account and tries but fails badly trying to deflect on the money. They are in serious trouble over this one with only a tissue-thin defence which will disintegrate if people keep investigating.

    Oh yea Whyte – well Imran says he was brought on the scene as some kind of financial trurn-around expert. Didn’t Imran know anything about his previous financial dealings or were they, in fact, an asset last year and also the makings of a patsy.

    And what about Whyte’s role in Rangers surely Imran would know about that in detail – I mean him and Green were buying the club. Didn’t the two of them know that Whyte was ‘banned’ from Scottish football. They seem to allege they didn’t – I’m afraid I find that incredulous.


  7. TW (@tartanwulver) says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 08:30

    Long Time Lurker says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 08:14

    The article notes that there is likely to be a Board meeting next Tuesday.
    ————————————————–
    Tuesday 16 April – Rangers board meeting. Any bad news would make the newsprint versions of newspapers on Wednesday.
    Wednesday 17 April – Thatcher funeral. Newspapers filled up with news and comment about that, all other stories (short of Korea going nuts with a nuclear weapon) relegated accordingly.
    —————————————————————————————-

    Good point it would appear JT has re-surfaced or perhaps Media House has been recalled to the colours.

    Just as well the internet bampots and clatterers march to a different drumbeat.


  8. From Mr Forsyth’s article

    “Furthermore, there are intersecting police enquiries which extend to business activity concerning Rangers after 2011. All of which, to return to the imminent board meeting, means that what urgently requires to emerge from the board meeting is absolute transparency. ”

    It appears from the above, that it is not only transaction 1 that is being investigated, interesting times indeed.


  9. They’ve even been called Belgian biscuits! I suppose we’ll have to call an LNS style enquiry to decide if a ‘baking advantage’ has been gained! I know, Ah’ll getma coat 🙁


  10. I have mistaken the dating of Imran’s meeting with Craigie: According to Imran it was 2007 but CW is adamant it was last year. If Imran is correct I still wonder what dealings he was having with Whyte from 2007 and were any of these deals joint with Green?

    Oh what a tangled web we weave 🙂


  11. So what if Green said ‘No Surrender’. if it was ‘No Paseran’ would that have made a difference?
    Would all the Celtic fans and Gandalf been rooting for him?

    Did he start the interview with ‘Hello Hello’? Who cares?

    It’s a distraction, another layer of minty flavoured smoke to screen that criminal.


  12. How low can one go?.
    Using your child as a prop in the hope people accept said photo as proof Green isn’t racist..Well this person won’t.All you’ve proven to me is that you’re willing to whore yourself and your family to make money.
    Imran obviously thinks anything goes as long as there’s a buck in it.

    Disgraceful!


  13. Reference Mr Green and his racist comments, he has also made the odd bigoted comment that has not been covered or condemned at the same level. I refer back to this interview given a few months ago

    .http://t.co/5groSgTG1W

    This is on SSB on the 8th April go to to 6 mins and and 45 seconds in. Mr Green states “and finally to the fans I would like to say thanks and No Surrender”

    This kind off comment IMO merits the same outrage as his recent comments but I do not recall such a big deal made of it.

    Alistair Johnston made the exact same comment in the very early days of this fiasco on radio and again no outcry.

    Mr Green and Mr Johnston know what this term means. Charlie uses it to put bums on seats as he will stoop to any level to make money. I have a problem with the people who advised Charlie of what to say or wear (orange top). Bigotry is alive and thriving in Govan,is this what we want to remain in our game?

    Why the difference in reporting, that worries me. Fear?


  14. broadswordcallingdannybhoy says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 09:23
    0 0 i
    Rate This

    So what if Green said ‘No Surrender’. if it was ‘No Paseran’ would that have made a difference?
    Would all the Celtic fans and Gandalf been rooting for him?

    Did he start the interview with ‘Hello Hello’? Who cares?

    It’s a distraction, another layer of minty flavoured smoke to screen that criminal.

    =====================================================
    broadsword, in the wider interests of Scottish football and society it does matter if the chairman of Rangers is playing to the sectarian element within the club’s support – it’s base and manipulative and serves only to cause divide in the country. I don’t think the anti-fascist call is a good comparison with where we find ourselves now. Let’s keep that crap out of football.

    You are right though that the main story here is one of corruption and that there should be no deflection from focus on that.


  15. ecobhoy says:

    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 08:44

    ‘Seems an private school upbringing prepared Ahmad for being able to deal with a little unpleasantness.’

    _______________________________________________

    So Ahmad’s public schooling has prepared him for this kind of ‘little unpleasantness’, surely that’s why it’s so important that these racist descriptions are stamped out! Nobody should have to deal with such things, whether as the result of having a public school education, or because you grew up on a council estate. I suppose another thing he learned at his public school is that everything’s acceptable, as long as it helps you make money!


  16. Regarding German biscuits in Belfast I think you will find that the attitudes of at least one part of the city at the time was the same as on the ‘mainland’. To quote the Ballad of William Bloat –

    ‘For the razor blade was German made
    But the rope was Belfast linen!’

    If you want the whole ballad just google William Bloat


  17. briggsbhoy says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 08:33
    3 0 Rate This

    I thought they were called Imperial Biscuits …
    ————–

    @Briggs,
    Ma maw used tae buy bags of the sadly-named, ‘broken biscuits’. Hardly imperious, they were sort of no-name rejects from the biscuit factories in plain paper bags. Must have been from Tunnocks because they were very sticky-caramel. ‘Lovely biscuits’ 🙂


  18. Charlie is not the villain.

    He’s just one of them and have you noticed, as if by magic, its hunting season on Charlie allowing the MSM to go after him.

    Strange that.

    When will the hunting season on SDM open?


  19. In fairness to the former Chairman of Rangers, he said “Surrender, no”. Which is worse. ANd here’s why…..

    Johnston knew fine well what those two words mean to his own fans and to others and that he would get into trouble if he used them in the other order. Green’s just a parrot when it comes to this type of thing. Much like Gascoigne’s flute-playing, someone puts these phrases into these English guys heads and it’s those guys who are the problem…


  20. broadswordcallingdannybhoy says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 09:23
    —————————————-
    Look’s like the S.F.A agree with you.

    Radio Clyde News ‏@RadioClydeNews 27m
    The #SFA have confirmed to Clyde News there is no intention of asking Charles Green to explain ‘no surrender’ comments.
    Retweeted by Scotzine
    Expand Reply Retweet Favorite


  21. 1. finloch says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 09:48

    When will the hunting season on SDM open?
    ————————————-

    Never! SDM is the gamekeeper responsible for issuing the hunting permits…

    Always the hunter, never the hunted!


  22. Robert Coyle says:

    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 09:48

    Sadly, that was just so predictable. A manager can swear, in the heat of a tight match – shouldn’t be acceptable, but is in all areas of society – and is called before the beaks to explain. Charles Green, the CEO of a very troublesome, bigot infested club, uses a phrase synonymous with the worst elements of bigotry and sectarianism in our country, having already used many inflammatory statements in his efforts to get the bigots onside, and this time escapes without, even, the now obligatory slap on the wrist.

    Stewart Regan: Campbell, how do you think we should deal with this latest faux pas by Charles?

    Campbell Ogilvie (lifts up the edge of the carpet): There’s still plenty room under here, Stewart!


  23. I posted an article a few days ago regarding the biggest baws in Scottish football and included the MSM in this.

    There is now another real contender (along with Stuart Cosgrove) in the MSM by the name of Peter Smith, well done young man.I


  24. Barold Hatchback MBE @Sir_Barold

    Keith Jackson insinuating share issue money been squirreled away around the globe. Nurse! More popcorn please!Retweeted by Phil MacGiollaBhain

    I guess no-one could have seen this coming….


  25. From the DR article…

    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion/sport/rangers-chairman-malcolm-murray-lionheart-1826505#.UWfEFT55Ltd.twitter
    ———————————————-

    Serious questions must also be asked. Have significant sums been shuffled halfway around the globe? If so, why? And what is the club’s connection with Singapore?

    Come to think of it, has Murray or any of his non-execs actually seen a club bank statement since Green boasted around £23m was dumped in there following a pre-Christmas share issue? If not, why not?
    ———————————————

    Trouble at t’mill.


  26. Long Time Lurker says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 08:14

    Interesting points made by Roddy Forsyth in today’s Telegraph.
    —————————————-
    Do you have a link to the article? Couldn’t see it when I looked


  27. Picture the scene…. Peter Lawwell signs off an interview on Radio Clyde with ‘Thanks and Chuckie Ar La”

    TU if you think the succulent lambers would have gone to town on him
    TD if you think they would have sat on it like they have with CG


  28. ecoboy,
    Off topic no doubt, but I’ve always been bemused by the nomenclature attached to cakes and biscuits.
    Why for example is a yum yum called a yum yum.?…it is indubitably tasty, but no other patisserie seems to be named after its goodliness! some are very descriptive,-upside down cake? others have names for traditional origins etc-,Eccles cakes? who knows what some of the others are actually called? I just often just point at one and say “one of those please”.
    Who decides on these names!!??
    Who decides when a club is a new one or not?
    Who decides when the Scunner Campbell is removed?
    Who will remove this post for being so off topic?


  29. Captain Haddock says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:42

    Who will remove this post for being so off topic?

    ——————————————————-

    Now you’re talking. Topic, possibly the finest chocolate bar ever made


  30. When the Daily Record starts printing stories like that you know time is running out.

    A few questions I have that I’m still confused by:

    Where is JT?
    How can us bampots get a copy of the decision made against Craig Whyte. Aren’t transcripts of the judgement not available as public record?


  31. 1. finloch says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 09:48

    When will the hunting season on SDM open?

    ——————-
    HAHA! reminds me of the classic Bugs Bunny cartoon..

    duck season!
    rabbit season!
    duck season!
    rabbit season!
    Whyte season!
    Green season!
    of course at the end Bugs and Daffy declare it to be….
    SDM season!, oops, Elmer season!


  32. Araminta Moonbeam QC says:

    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:19

    Not exactly earth shattering article, but such an improvement on what we’re used to seeing. He’s actually tried to interpret statements from McCoist and others rather than just to accept club PR driven statements at face value, albeit looking back at what was said rather than doing a critique at the original time of publishing. The bit about money being salted around the globe is phrased in a way that he could easily fob off should the money be found in the correct accounts, or give him an ‘I told you so’ moment if it turns out to be true. It is nice to see him being critical of real Rangers men, and, to be honest, the Rangers fans need to read articles like this to get their heads out of the sand!

    And where is our beloved Rangers’ PR guru while this is all going on. Shouldn’t he be feeding Jackson and co exclusives to fill their columns and save them having to work like proper journalists? I have a picture of JT cowering under his desk as things seem to be running away from him and Green because he just doesn’t have the ability to control the media in the way he was employed to do.


  33. Araminta Moonbeam QC says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:19

    Thanks for the Telegraph link

    As for the Daily Record article, a couple of points:

    From the DR article…
    1. “a player sacked after being hoaxed by some obsessive internet extremist”
    ‘Extremist’ definition: a person who holds extreme or fanatical political or religious views, esp. one who resorts to or advocates extreme action
    ‘Hoaxer’ definition: a person who tricks or deceives someone
    Very different things, a bit sneaky to confuse the two in the article.

    2. “So, once again, it falls on this newspaper to inform the fans of what is really going on”
    Eh?


  34. Should have given Jackson more credit, in my previous post, for asking the question of Murray and co ‘have they seen the bank statements showing the £23m in the bank account’. A question that should have been asked by all the hacks months ago, and one many have asked on here from the outset.


  35. Once again I set me heid to thinking.

    In the wake of the LNS findings on player registrations, would the same argument hold true for clubs i.e. that a club is deemed to be properly registered/licensed until proven otherwise, and that no retrospective action can be taken regarding fixtures already played as they were deemed to have been properly registered at that time?

    How does one go about challenging that a clubs license has been provided under false pretenses? If the same argument held, would it not be ethical that if a teams status was challenged, that it would not be allowed to compete in any fixture until such stage as the issue had been resolved? Could this be another way to draw out the infamous five way agreement?

    Why aren’t queens park, peterhead et al who have a vested interest in the final standings of division 3 screaming for an investigation?


  36. TW (@tartanwulver) says:

    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:55

    2. “So, once again, it falls on this newspaper to inform the fans of what is really going on”
    Eh?

    __________________

    Perhaps true if he is only referring to TRFC fans! Their own sites are no better than the MSM in saying how it really is!


  37. When German biscuits were renamed Empire biscuits did they remain the same biscuit?
    Or did they become a different biscuit?
    Or were they, in fact, the same biscuit ‘entity’?
    Strange how your mind begins to work after an hour or so on this forum, especially on a slow news day….. I’ll get my coat… 🙂


  38. completely off the current topic, but in trying to answer my question above re: getting a copy of the judgement I went looking. Drew a blank, but did find this from May 2012.

    http://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWHC/Ch/2012/1885.html&query=craig+whyte&method=boolean

    It was an application to the court to release details of Whyte’s disqualification to Private Eye magazine as it was in the public interest. The application was unopposed and Private Eye were given permission to obtain the records for publication.

    Where these ever published? The story passed me by if they were.


  39. Are the 80 odd convictions under “the bill” detailed anywhere, WRT who they support, or is it like the details of the anti-sectarian convictions.

    I’m sure their was someone pushing for the details to be made public, what happened to him?


  40. jockybhoy says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 09:48

    17

    0

    Rate This

    In fairness to the former Chairman of Rangers, he said “Surrender, no”. Which is worse. ANd here’s why…..

    Johnston knew fine well what those two words mean to his own fans and to others and that he would get into trouble if he used them in the other order. Green’s just a parrot when it comes to this type of thing. Much like Gascoigne’s flute-playing, someone puts these phrases into these English guys heads and it’s those guys who are the problem…
    =====================================================

    To be fair to Gazza, his right hand was the wrong way round to play the flute. He was either:

    1) Imitating playing the moothie,

    2) Imitating eating a corn on the cob’

    3) Or just too thick to realise the difference!

    Thoughts?


  41. Todays good(?) news – self-awareness appears on a Rangers message board and attracts some, although not universal, support. Acknowledgement to the original poster.
    ================================================================

    “The reality of where we are v ‘tarrier conspiracy theory’
    ——————————————————————————–
    It is insightful to read through FF these days although you need a strong stomach and some perspective. Ricky Foster?! Stevie Smith?!? Boydie?!

    What is interesting to me is the desire of so many to ignore the events of the last decade: the corporate mismanagement, the piles of debt, the collapse of infrastructure at the club.

    Instead any negative press is ‘the taigs putting the boot in’. A nice, simple, holistic approach where we don’t need to think about the club as having done anything wrong or needing to learn lessons…we’re victims: now, then, always.

    In reality, and it is tough to take, we are now very vulnerable because the fans have rejected umpteen chances to take more control…or even start down that road. We are now at the point where we are at the mercy of venture capitalists and can only hope that we get ‘nice’ ones and not ‘nasty ones’. And most are sadly nasty. Look around at Portsmouth, Coventry and so many more…very few clubs get a genuinely philanthropic billionaire in charge.

    Sadly we became a badly run club a long time ago…and the club’s recent collapse was inevitable. As is the fact that to start again and achieve what we all want to achieve we will need to get involved: our passion, money and belief keep club afloat and have done for years now…this consortium AND this management team are short on ideas sadly. This ‘battle’ is not one that will produce any big win for us the fans.

    As a well kent FF chap said to me via PM yesterday “The fans can be apathetic..they are angry and upset up to the point where they’re asked to do something…to get up, get their hands dirty.”

    Is he right? All I know is that what went wrong, what remains weak and broken within club, was not all a plot hatched at the Vatican. Our problems are man made and the men were mainly employed by or owned the club…and the solutions will come from normal, ordinary men too. Us.

    Let’s not get too lost in this game being played out in the media: everyone is leaking, positioning, moving chess pieces on the board, but…we should not blindly trust anyone 100% again and we should think about what might come AFTER this consortium….where this will end. We might find a Russian who loves Orange culture and has a £1bn spare or we might be shifted around like Leeds, Sheffield Wed, Portsmouth, Watford etc.

    Be aware, stay awake and let’s all try and do a bit more…”


  42. From KDS:

    Keef Jackson: “Serious questions must also be asked. Have significant sums been shuffled halfway around the globe? If so, why? And what is the club’s connection with Singapore?”

    Answer to all three questions is: Rafat Ali Rizvi.
    Owner of Singapore-based Nova Resources (previously Tembusu Investments), who Green worked for before turning up at Ibrox.
    Remember wee Google Eye’s tape of Imran Ahmad talking about the “Rafat f***ing Charles Green show”?
    Well, just Google these terms:
    Rafat Ali Rizvi, Indonesia, convicted, bank fraud, sentenced, 15 years, extradition, Interpol.


  43. Could all this talk of biscuits be giving some crumb of comfort to the TRFC supporters?

    Has Green found that the Jacob’s Club he bought last year is not so attractive now that the outer coating of chocolate has melted away? Have the supporters discovered yet that his ‘own brand’ Club isn’t the same as the real thing?

    Are the RIFC plc finding that, just like a Yoyo, their shares can go down as well as up?

    ‘If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit, join our club’ – Jacobs Club advert.

    ‘If you like a lot of bullsh1t from your boardroom, join our club’ – Charles Green to the Rangers masses 😉


  44. Can anyone remember offhand if there was any tie-up with Rafat Ali Rizvi and Orlit Investments?.


  45. allyjambo says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:53

    Araminta Moonbeam QC says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:19

    I have a picture of JT cowering under his desk as things seem to be running away from him and Green because he just doesn’t have the ability to control the media in the way he was employed to do.
    ————————————————————————————————————————

    I said from the time of his appointment that I didn’t think he had the necessary skill-set to do the job. Many many hacks have left journalism to head for the easy life in PR and most of them sink without trace and end-up doing trade mag write-ups for tiny companies and are paid buttons.

    The interesting thing about most of those that succeed is that they were pretty shit-hot journos to begin with and they almost without exception were the type who could find their own stories and develop them into real exclusives. They also had genuine contacts and not made-up anonymous sources and they never ever released the source identity to anyone and the relationship they had with the source wasn’t on a purely financial basis.

    The importance of that for a successful PR company – and some may not like this but Media House is such a company – is that they have something to trade with journalists along the lines of if you go easy on this story I will give you a real cracker of a story about someone else or another company. I am not suggesting that this offer would transgress the law or professional standards btw.

    They don’t come the heavy and threaten the journalists they just make their job easier and make the journo look good. This shell game has been eagerly accepted IMO by some sports journos who struggle to understand the offside rule or string an intelligent sentence together and who have been plunged into one of the most complex legal and financial stories ever to hit Scotland.

    The Bears seem to think that with the arrival of JT any pesky journo looking too hard for actual facts would be kicked-up the erse and if that didn’t work then they would be blackmailed because the ‘goods’ was known about previous transgressions. Not for one minute do I believe that JT would be involved in such activities or even condone them but that is what the Bears thought they were getting and the Darkside sites are choc a bloc with those sentiments.

    The real question is what did Green think he was getting? And whatever that was is he happy with the Rangers media management strategy in action as has been laid bare in recent weeks. The Bears appear to be walking away from JT and want to know where he’s been, what’s he doing and why are all these newspapers attacking Rangers with no apparent fear of effective retribution.

    Tbh it doesn’t matter what the fans think or say and I suspect it really doesn’t matter either what Green’s position is. I think if I was JT I would be looking to the next act and wondering how I could burnish my reputation and possibly make the final curtain call but I don’t think I would be counting on a record-breaking run for the Rangers story. Perhaps in future the ‘Scottish Play’ will remain the Rangers Story but perhaps not – Break a leg Jim 🙂


  46. Thanks Humble Pie for a great piece.

    Always a joy to be irritated beyond belief by the utter absurdity of the decision making relating to all things TRFC.The narrative of events ,no matter how familiar,still grates.

    Of course it is more than just absurd. There are darker forces at work.Those forces tie in with the desire to maintain the old order,and when the establishment is challenged it is very difficult to break down its walls.

    In my view the situation with regard to Rangers is now beyond embarassment but bear in mind that all things Rangers are merely the ‘scarf of support’ for the institutions that maintain them.

    To unpick this will be to take a brick or two out of the very foundations of Scottish society.This is ,in my mind,the greatest scandal in Scottish sporting history.

    Maybe it will turn out to be the greatest scandal in our banking history as well.


  47. torrejohnbhoy says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 11:31

    P McCs article from last July:
    http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/tag/rafat-ali-rizvi/
    ———————————————————————————————

    Don’t forget that Rizvi’s name has popped up again recently – since wee craigie’s latest carfuffle – as being involved in the Rangers takeover.


  48. Perhaps the best way to explain the actions of the SFA which appear random and arbitrary is to apply a variant on Asimov’s three Laws of Robotics.
    First Law : The SFA will not harm nor through inaction allow harm to be caused to Rangers.
    Second Law: The SFA will obey any orders given to it by Rangers except when these conflict with first law.
    Third Law:The SFA will function as a governing body except when its functions conflict with either First Law or Second Law.

    All makes sense now.


  49. Humble Pie 00:04 Brilliant article.
    We all know MSM will read this and do their usual hee haw. Good thing is they know that we all know that they will not react even though they have access to information that should be questioned to help save Scottish football. Shame on them. Football governing bodies no doubt also look in to TSFM and hopefully they feel a wee twinge of shame(apart from you know who), whether they will grow a pair who knows.

    Caveat Emptor 00:41 great response to HP post. We all know exactly what your are saying Hidden Shame springs to mind.

    Back to the MSM jangle Jackson article in DR today has a real go at Malcolm Murray which is justified. But Malcolm is not the only one employed under Green (although he has a high post). From the article Jackson after the attack on Malcolm Murray he then states “It would be no suprise at all if if Walter Smith was one of the first to step down given his disgust at what is going on” Now if Keith Jackson wrote an article attacking Walter concerning his role along the lines of maybe “Walter we are all disgusted that you have not come out and say anything of this shambles sooner as you must have known something” Then I would give Keith some credence.

    My wee paranoid mind cannot think history is about to repeat itself as far as MSM are concerned. They cannot wait for Walter to in some how take over Sevco. They are already doing the groundwork as we speak. Can you imagine also if this takes place before season books reminders go out all the hordes will buy in their thousands (I know they will never learn). If Green remains season book sales will plummet and if 12, 12 18 goes ahead and Green is still at the helm they would really struggle to fill seats.

    If the MSM condemn Walter then and only then will I believe there is no hidden agenda. The odd wee verbal assault on SDM would also help.


  50. that is a very good statement from Hearts IMO. It almost makes me say yes, apart from the continued existence of the 11-1 voting system.

    St.Johnstone also confirmed today they will be voting yes. Not a direct quote, but the jist of what Steve Brown said was that sooner or later Saints will be relegated and the new format provides more protection for when that happens.


  51. ecobhoy,

    Like so many on here, I’ve watched the standard of journalism in this country deteriorate into a vehicle for companies’ PR, with no pertinent questions asked by the so-called journalists. It seems the norm to print statements in full, with no interpretation, or criticism, of the words offered. I’d imagine, with no personal knowledge, that it is part of the PR machine’s job to ensure that, particularly at crisis times for their company, they put out long puff pieces to make their pet journos working day easy (they are bound to be the lazy ones) and allow the editors to fill columns with uncontroversial, safe, pieces. Clearly Traynor is failing to do this, and Keith Jackson, and others, are left with no choice other than to do some digging and produce real (relatively speaking) journalistic work.

    Perhaps it was a cunning plan by a true newspaper man, Jim Traynor, to force this change on the dying industry he loves, by inveigling his way into Ibrox and halting the puff-piece output! Or maybe things really are so bad, that not even the greatest of PR machines could create something believable, even to the most willing of recipients, to deflect from the crumbling reality of life at Murray Park and Ibrox.


  52. blu says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 11:27
    ———————————————————————————————-

    I agree with most of what you have posted – re FF I remember back in the day they were virtually a lone voice warning against the spending and tackling Murray over his running of the club and they actually asked awkward questions at the agm but were shouted down.

    I think in the last year it has become clear to me that a big problem for Bears IMO is that the support is very fragmented into different factions which have wide cultural divisions. The support that was mobilised was very impressive but it seems impossible to harness it effectively in a longer-term to improve the fan power base and say in decision-making.

    Perhaps the biggest stumbling blocks for the support in moving forwards is their deep-seated belief and conviction in Supremacy not solely from sporting prowess but as an inalieable right. No football club has that right and it’s quite sad that anyone can have such a blinkered approach.

    There is also IMO a ‘victim’ and ‘persecution’ mentality which prevents a dispassionate analysis of not only what has gone wrong but, more importantly, how it can be fixed and that requires accepting at least some of the blame for the mess. But it appears that the Follow Follow mentality – in itself no bad thing for football supporters – works against fan cohesion and taking responsibility because it provides a cop-out of placing the Leader on a pedestal and when he topples then it is all his personal fault and nothing to do with the fans.

    Those are my views but I do not believe it is up to me to tell Bears how to put their house in order as that is their business and needs to come from within. But it’s obvious that things need to start soon or fans will be left powerless with no possibility of altering the course because there is a huge risk of the financial position worsening.


  53. allyjambo says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 11:31

    Jacob’s in fact had to remove that strap line by Advertising Standards as it turned out that there was in fact not a lot of chocolate in that biscuit, it was mainly cocoa mass. So there is a comparison here with The new Rangers as it’s not exactly what it says on the packet or should I say the stadium gates! Claim it is something it’s not basically


  54. allyjambo says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 12:14

    ecobhoy
    —————————————————————–
    I know JT and I also know many people who have worked with him and just didn’t like him on a personal level for various reasons. That doesn’t necessarily affect his professional ability but I seriously wondered from the start how long it would take for people to have a go at him.

    If he is a PR guru he will weather the storm but if I was Green I would have a crisis PR firm in preventing anything else going wrong. The problem is that a professional PR outfit might take a look at the whole mess and decide that it didn’t want to become embroiled with what looks and acts more like a collander than a professionally run public company. And tbh what PR outfit could muzzle Green to prevent more self-damage.

    JT’s problem is that Green is his effective boss and employer – is he capable of not only telling Green to shut the f**k up but enforcing that. The major problem could be IMO that spiv players are always looking for the next cash-cow and that the Rangers fate has already been decided.

    It must be obvious to every Rangers fan that Green has to go as he is destroying the club but the problem they have is what comes next.


  55. We are approaching the end game
    To control the end game RIFC need a Board with 100% Spivs
    So they need to dump Murray Cardigan and McCoist .They cannot afford to have them around Ibrox while they are winding up the business
    The terms under which Green is removed may be the issue on which Murray and Green resign


  56. paulsatim says:

    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 11:57

    Quantcast
    Comprehensive Hearts statement on why they will vote yes next week! http://t.co/dZeOSwtIJC
    _______________________________________

    Well done to my club for being the first to get this very informative piece out, though perhaps it’s something produced by the SPL for all clubs to issue. I’m glad they have stated their position and been so open in explaining their backing for the proposals. Whether or not you agree with the plan, I think it important that all clubs are open with their fans on their reasons for voting for or against. I hope any clubs who intend voting against the proposal produce something similar.

    I’m in favour of the new set-up, perhaps more so now that I’ve read this from Hearts; but if it’s, as some suggest, at the expense of losing the 11/1 voting system, then I’m not so sure. On the other hand, should any club vote against, siting that they want rid of the 11/1, then I trust they will show us all how, by voting against it, they are ensuring a new voting structure is in place soon.


  57. ecobhoy says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 12:23
    ====================================
    Ecobhoy,

    Thanks for responding. Just to pick out two of the points you made:

    “Perhaps the biggest stumbling blocks for the support in moving forwards is their deep-seated belief and conviction in Supremacy not solely from sporting prowess but as an inalieable right. No football club has that right and it’s quite sad that anyone can have such a blinkered approach.”

    and

    “…Those are my views but I do not believe it is up to me to tell Bears how to put their house in order as that is their business and needs to come from within. But it’s obvious that things need to start soon or fans will be left powerless with no possibility of altering the course because there is a huge risk of the financial position worsening.”

    The reason I copied the post from FF was that it struck me that the person who posted it recognised these things and that if his perspective had been the dominant position of the Rangers fans then TSFM would have focused on supporting them.


  58. timtim says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 08:34
    6 0 Rate This
    Tom Farmery

    Published at 12:01AM, April 12 2013

    Craig Whyte, the former Rangers owner, last night shrugged off the threat of legal action after it emerged that police had raided one of his properties in connection with an investigation into the takeover of the club two years ago.

    Sources close to the Monaco-based businessman revealed that Mr Whyte “could not for the life of him think what he has done wrong” and said that he had no contact with police before they raided his home in the Highlands on Wednesday.

    The Times has reported that Mr Whyte, who acquired the Ibrox club in May 2011 for £1, could face action under company law after he admitted completing his takeover by using the £20 million proceeds from the Ticketus finance company for the advance sale of Rangers season tickets.

    Two senior legal authorities said that the purchase appeared to have been a breach of the Companies Act.

    The Act prohibits a public company and its directors from giving “financial assistance” in connection with the purchase of its own shares.
    ===================================
    Another red herring from The Times.

    Financial assistance has got nothing to do with this case: it relates to the use of company assets to guarantee a loan which is then used to purchase shares in that company.

    Remember, Craig Whyte spent just £1 to buy the shares from MIH. No loan was required to purchase the shares.

    He used the proceeds from the sale of future season tickets to repay existing company debt. As long as he can show that he had intended to fully adhere to the Ticketus contract – by actually supplying those season tickets, Craig Whyte is in the clear.

    As I said yesterday, the important point is whether or not the authorities believe he ever intended to honour that contract.

    The relevant legislation is Section 993 of the Companies Act 2006.
    http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/993


  59. goosygoosy says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 12:40

    A board with 100% spivs – makes sense. I wonder, was part of the plan by CG to in effect force a board meeting, through his recent outbursts?


  60. I agree that it is a good statement from Hearts. Personally, I’m not in favour of it on two standpoints. One is the voting structure and the other is the split after 22 games which is too early in the season.

    Stop Press: Mid price for RIFC has dropped to 68p this afternoon after a few sales of a few thousand shares (around 28K in total)
    http://www.lse.co.uk/ShareTrades.asp?shareprice=RFC&share=rangers_int


  61. ecobhoy says:
    Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 23:37

    redetin says:
    Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 22:41

    ecobhoy says:
    Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 21:05

    4.21 From 6 June 2012, Charles Green will be appointed to assist in the day-to-day management of the business of the Company (at no cost to the Company or the Joint Administrators), in order to manage the ongoing trading costs of the Company and allow for a smooth transition in ownership.
    ————————————————————————————–
    Handy and pivotal position at a very critical time and there was a smooth transition in ownership – well sort of even if it wasn’t to the right company 🙂

    And Green is such an obliging chappie that he took this role on without being paid – he deserves a medal. Maybe not as he’s already bought a load of them.
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    Of course, we have no idea what actions CG took to “manage the ongoing trading costs” or to “smooth” the transition.

    Nor do we know how long he stayed in this role, or when it was terminated, or even if it was officially terminated. All we know is he was appointed to work for the old Rangers when he was busy setting up the Sevco(s).


  62. Meanwhile at Hearts, any possible takeover will be put on hold for the moment as a Lithuanian court has frozen Vlad’s assets as some of his creditors are suing him and his sister for large debts.

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-12/hearts-sale-plan-derailed-as-lithuania-freezes-romanov-s-assets.html

    Hearts Sale Plan Derailed as Lithuania Freezes Romanov’s Assets

    By Bryan Bradley – Apr 12, 2013 12:05 PM GMT+0100

    Heart of Midlothian owner Vladimir Romanov’s assets were frozen by a Lithuanian court, derailing any potential sale of the Scottish soccer club.

    The assets of Ukio Banko Investicine Grupe, or UBIG, through which Romanov controls 79 percent of Hearts in Edinburgh, were blocked yesterday in the course of a lawsuit against the Russian-born investor and his sister, Olga Goncaruk, Kaunas District Court said today on its website.

    “Any sale or transfer” of UBIG’s shares in Hearts or its other property “is forbidden,” Gintare Putnikiene, a spokeswoman for the court in Kaunas said by phone today. Several companies are suing Romanov and Goncaruk to recover “large debts” the two jointly undertook, Putnikiene said.

    Regulators in February closed Ukio Bankas AB (UKB1L), a Lithuanian lender that Romanov controlled and used to finance international sport, aluminum and real-estate projects. Foundation of Hearts, an Edinburgh-based supporters group, said on April 9 it was negotiating together with other fan associations to buy a majority of Hearts shares from UBIG.

    Besides UBIG assets, which include Hearts’s Tynecastle stadium in the west of the Scottish capital, the court said it also froze property belonging to Romanov and Goncaruk personally and to Birac Europe AB, a company they jointly own.

    The arrest order can be appealed within seven days, according to the court’s statement.

    Speaking by phone to LNK television last night, Romanov said he wouldn’t comment on the court’s decision until he had more information, according to a report on Vilnius-based LNK’s website. Officials at UBIG couldn’t be immediately reached by telephone at their office in Kaunas.


  63. HirsutePursuit says:

    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 12:51

    Nice ripping apart of that piece in the Times, HP. More lazy journalism, why don’t they just do their research here? I’m sure many in Glasgow’s/Scotland’s, finest would like to be able to prove it was all down to Whyte and his takeover was illegal, quashing his floating charge. This judgement in favour of Ticketus could be a nuclear event for Rangers, as it means Whyte really needs £17m plus, very quickly, and if his floating charge is held to be in force, what now for Murray Park and Ibrox?


  64. goosygoosy says:
    Friday, April 12, 2013 at 12:40

    Whyte very quickly got rid of the businessmen and the Rangers men.

    Green needed them at the start, the question is does he need them now.

Comments are closed.