Good Afternoon.
As virtually anyone on the internet who follows Scottish Football has come to realise, there is a reasoned and determined attempt at ignoring the content of the Charlotte Fakeovers files on the part of the mainstream print media— and indeed by the broadcast journo’s to an extent.
There is widespread speculation that the accessing of the information provided by Charlotte the Harlot was not all above board and the reluctance of the journalists to mention or comment on the documents, so far published on the internet, is often explained away by the lawyers allegedly advising that the content is tainted and so on.
That indeed might or might not be the case, and only the editors, lawyers, journalists and so on will truly know what their stance is on the revelations. Some will want the whole thing suppressed and others will be desperate to get into print, but thus far are frustrated in any attempt to do so.
However, as the documents do appear on the net only to be quickly followed by file disappearances and so on, there is an ever burning question which must be asked and thrown open to debate and argument.
The issue is not just how independent are the Sports Press in Scotland, but whether or not the relationship between certain sections of the press and Rangers or The Rangers is in fact lawful and deserving of football sanctions.
There is no doubt that many big businesses, local authorities and Governments use the services of PR firms and the likes to get information out to the public and to put their slant on any given situation. That is fair enough.
However, in recent days we have seen the release of documentation which, if accurate and true, shows that a leading Scottish PR company were specifically employed to place stories with the press which were designed to damage the reputation of, to embarrass or cause problems for certain other teams and personnel involved in Scottish Football.
Again I stress that all of this is subject to the caveat that what Charlotte is publishing may or may not be real and accurate. However, if what has been produced is in fact the genuine correspondence between the club and its professional advisers then that correspondence needs to be looked at.
The SFA and indeed the SPFL are the bodies that lay down rules which govern the conduct of clubs and their officers and employees.
So looking at these regulations let me just repeat some of them here:
Fisrt the rules of what was the SPL and which I presume are the rules of the SPFL:
A3.1 In all matters and transactions relating to the League and Company each Club shall behave towards each other Club and the Company with the utmost good faith.
A3.2 No Club, either by itself or its Club Officials, shall by any means whatsoever unfairly criticise, disparage, belittle or discredit any other Club, the Company or the League or in either case any such other Cub or the Company’s directors, officers, employees or agents (which shall, for the avoidance of doubt, exclude supporters).
The SFA handbook at article 5 places obligations on members to observe the principles of loyalty, integrity and sportsmanship in accordance with the rules of fair play, and to refrain from engaging in any activity which would constitute a breach of sections 1, 2 and 6 the Bribery Act 2010.
The details of the Bribery act can be found here:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/23/section/2
Basically, I think these rules mean that you cannot criticise belittle or try to damage the reputation of a club outwith the rules of the games and must at all times behave with integrity, in a sporting manner and with THE UTMOST GOOD FAITH!
The details,as released by Charlotte, show that there is at best a conflict of interests at times with various parties being both employed by the club and paid by radio stations or newspapers to comment on matters relating to all aspects of Scottish Football. As a member of the PR staff at Ibrox presumably such employees are paid to tow a certain party line when commenting in the media and so throw a spin on any given set of facts and circumstances that suits whoever is in control of Ibrox.
Further, it has been suggested that certain individuals acting in this way can also represent the views of for example Walter Smith — and so act as their mouthpiece if necessary.
Such practices may be unpleasant and undesirable but not necessarily against the laws of the game. It would just mean that the newspapers and broadcasters concerned cannot be regarded as independent or objective in their comments or views — they are merely towing an employers line. In short they are HMV— His Masters Voice!
Equally, we have seen supposedly independent journalists and editors referred to in such a way that it is clear they are being asked to spin news a certain way for whatever reason — including the suggestion that if they do not comply then some kind of action will be taken which the parties concerned would rather avoid — such as private matters becoming public.
However, of far greater interest is the suggestion that where necessary the newspapers or whoever will be used to spread negative stories about another club, its employees, directors or whoever.
Such a position may well amount to a breach of articles 3.1 and 3,2 of the SPL ( now SPFL rules) and against the principals set out in the SFA handbook.
Both the SFA and the SPL ( SPFL) has a press office and legal officers.
Both grant rights to broadcasters and journalists, and allow members of the press access to their officers and officials.
Both bodies are free to set out what is acceptable conduct on the part of clubs in this area…… and what is not!
Without even alluding to the detail of the Charlotte revelations, or needing to enquire into the details of the Charlotte documents, I would have thought that the governing bodies would be capable of issuing a formal reminder, to all clubs currently playing at any level in Scottish football, of the content of these rules and that any breach of the rules will not be tolerated.
Of course the matter becomes more convoluted if any officers of the SFA or SPL were involved in the employment of any PR companies or agencies on behalf of a member club and engaged in briefing any such agency about what to say when it comes to the affairs of other clubs. Surely you cannot have an executive officer of a governing body who is in any way linked to the employment of an agency which breaks rules on behalf of a member club?
However, few of these people ever appear on the airwaves to answer questions on a personal basis, and very few expose themselves to questions from the public.
However, many of the commentators and journalists named in the Charlotte documents are regulars on the airwaves and could, in theory, be asked whether or not they are no more than “Their master’s voice” as would appear to be the case if the Charlotte documents are in fact genuine.
If the Scottish Footballing Public are to be entrusted with the truth — and why shouldn’t they in this era of open and transparent football governance– then I think they are entitled to enquire direct whether or not the journalists, players, ex players,managers directors, broadcasters and governing body officials believe in articles 3.1 and 3.2 of the SPFL rules and article 5 of the SFA handbook?
Oh– and maybe the same people could provide some practical examples of what they would consider to be breaches of these rules and what the appropriate sanctions might be?
Specifically– do the actions mentioned in the Charlotte documents ( if true ) fall within the football rules or not?
Or do the SFA and SPFL just ignore placed press releases and comments?
It would be interesting to know.
FIFA says:
July 29, 2013 at 7:26 pm
Does anyone know what the mode of transportation was used to beam the Rangers team to and from their match yesterday ,we should be told.
====================================
I understand they travelled on a bus from Marbill Coaches, who are based in Beith in North Ayrshire.
http://marbillcoaches.co.uk/
FIFA says:
July 29, 2013 at 7:26 pm
0 1 Rate This
Does anyone know what the mode of transportation was used to beam the Rangers team to and from their match yesterday ,we should be told.
———–
A big orange bus 🙂
http://willievass.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/280713-Albion-Rovers-v-Rangers/G0000A_j60y0KuhE/I0000oZqrtDqjR44/C0000RuSYb5vZE60
For those not following T’Rangers share perfromance the news is that after the recent drop things have settled down and we are back to trading in little dribs and drabs.
Paul McConville came up with a credible theory that the seller the other weeks was Richard Hughes of Zeus.
http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/which-dis-satisfied-rangers-shareholder-sold-1-5-rifc-plc-million-shares/
If thats what one person getting out early can do to the share price then it could be a carnival around Christmas time when the lock-ins end!!
Danish Pastry says:
July 29, 2013 at 7:36 pm
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FIFA says:
July 29, 2013 at 7:26 pm
0 1 Rate This
$$$$$$
Why didn’t the board member give them a ‘mate’s rates’ bus?
davythelotion says:
July 29, 2013 at 6:04 pm
10 0 Rate This
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2010/03/24/drum-editor-responds-irvines-claims-he-was-brought-heel-libel-lawyer
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interesting and possible follow up to the post above:
http://scottishlaw.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/the-lord-advocates-secret-slush-fund.html
The Lord Advocate’s SECRET SLUSH FUND
Crown Office have used secret cash to ‘make payoffs’ & ‘cover up’ criminal, civil cases involving staff
Lord Advocate Frank MulhollandEvidence emerges of a secret slush fund at Lord Advocate’s Crown Office. SCOTLAND’S Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has today been accused of operating a secret, unaudited “slush fund of public money” used to pay for legal advice, and private legal representation for its own members of staff who have been charged with criminal offences or who have become involved in civil legal disputes.
The fund, which legal insiders claim is buried deep in the budget for the Crown Office, is rumoured to have paid out millions of pounds over its existence in cases involving its own staff. There are also suggestions the fund has been used to PAY-OFF ‘media friendly’ law firms to keep headlines involving criminal charges against COPFS staff out of the press and that the fund may have been used “to purchase testimony” from witnesses”.
The claims come after the Crown Office refused to respond to Freedom of Information requests made by journalists investigating leaks that “a substantial fund which is not subject to external audit or accountability”, is maintained by prosecutors to pay huge sums relating to legal costs of their colleagues caught up in scandals, criminal charges and civil legal actions.
My guess on the share sales was Kieron Prior and / or Richard Hughes. Either or both make perfect sense.
Prior getting out while there was still some money in the shares, and Hughes cashing in and getting his profit.
On buses are Rangers colours not Red, White and Blue. Heaven forfend they might be playing to a certain element of the support by getting that bus from Ayr. Choosing a company who just happen to have that particular livery.
Am I just being cynical.
I feel that some recent posts have been unattractive to folk like me who live outside the west of Scotland, although I am interested in Irvine’s apparently successful attempts to influence content in the media.
It got me thinking about Vincent Lunny and the way he appears to get involved in compliance. Recently, Stewart Regan reported that the SFA would not be investigating further the very clear links between Green, Ahmed and Whyte, simply because an Ibrox funded enquiry said everything was ‘ok’. Therefore the issue would not be referred to SFA compliance officer Vincent Lunny.
Now, although I am not a fan of Neil Lennon, I recall that two years ago, due to ‘members of the public’ making complaints with the police, the Celtic manager was investigated (by the boys in blue!!!!) maybe instigated by ‘members of the public’ encouraged by Media House, thus paid for by some other boys in blue.
And I recall Vincent Lunny getting involved with the Celtic manager in April after again, ‘members of the public’ complained about industrial language emanating from Lennon.
Now, what’s to stop ‘members of the public’ raising a complaint directly with Vincent Lunny concerning, as an example, the clear connections between Whyte and Green, and in all likelihood, David Murray as well?
Just as an example, mind, and nobody would have to pay Media House a fee. 😛
Danish Pastry says:
July 29, 2013 at 7:36 pm
5 0 Rate This
FIFA says:
July 29, 2013 at 7:26 pm
0 1 Rate This
Does anyone know what the mode of transportation was used
to beam the Rangers team to and from their match
yesterday ,we should be told.
———–
A big orange bus
http://willievass.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/280713-Albion-Rovers-v-Rangers/G0000A_j60y0KuhE/I0000oZqrtDqjR44/C0000RuSYb5vZE60
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out all of those stars. You’ve got to admire their optimism.
borussiabeefburg says:
July 29, 2013 at 8:20 pm
Great idea. How do we do it? 💡
Has anyone got a link to Alex Salmond standing up for the Jambo’s recently with a “fabric of society” statement, due to their perilous predicament. You would think that he would walk over hot coals to save his precious Jam Tarts no? Maybe switching allegiance from the English tory party to SNP gets his attention. Particularly if your business HQ is/was in Charlotte Square, just round the corner from the former domicile of the first minister. Corrupt? Yes. How deep does it go? Mariana Trench deep.
RFC/SFA/SMSM/MH/MIH/SNP. <—- Cabal.
A commentator accuses Celtic supporters of singing sectarian songs, without naming or describing these songs.
An owner accuses the SFA of bigotry
A manager demands to know the name of the members of a properly constituted disciplinary panel-even though he knows the names.
An owner admits to regularly using racist epithets in elation to a colleague
An owner admits that he was involved in the deception of a previous owner in order to con him out of his shares
A manager and team members regularly claim that they are the victims of ‘over-physical’ tackles in Div 3, despite referees not sharing their view
An owner resigns his post as CEO due to allegations about his involvement with a previous owner who was banned and fined by the football authorities.
A club are exposed as having undue influence over the MSM
Questions are raised about a charity’s functioning
A manager evades a signing embargo by recruiting trialists and then complaining about how he can’t use them.
A manager is ‘caught’ by Sky calling player a ‘fanny’
Who got the three match ban?
Re the pictures link for the big orange bus ,if you click down to picture 53 & 54 are interesting but I suppose they where also in the daily rags today and brought to the attention of Mr Lunny ,thought not.
FIFA says:
July 29, 2013 at 10:11 pm
Re the pictures link for the big orange bus ,if you click down to picture 53 & 54 are interesting but I suppose they where also in the daily rags today and brought to the attention of Mr Lunny ,thought not.
===============================
I also think Pic no. 52 gives clear evidence of who ate all the pies.
FIFA says:
July 29, 2013 at 10:11 pm
Re the pictures link for the big orange bus ,if you click down to picture 53 & 54 are interesting but I suppose they where also in the daily rags today and brought to the attention of Mr Lunny ,thought not.
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I see Mr Vass has copyright over these pics so would anyone be in breach of copyright if thy were sent to Mr Lunny as a complaint?
PS Never saw them printed anywhere else. Strange that 🙄
Another take on the Holly Greig story. vIs the Hollie Greig case a hoax? That’s the opinion of disaffected former supporters of the story, who went searching for basic evidence to support the claims of self-professed investigator Robert Green and Anne Greig, the mother of the lady in question, and found it completely lacking. According to them and their alternative media talking heads at the UK Column, Hollie Greig, a Down syndrome sufferer was abused by a gang of paedophile’s from the age of 6 years old.
On this week’s show Keelan talks with members of the Hollie Greig Hoax group, including two of Hollie’s alleged abusers, Sylvia Major and Wyn Dragon-Smith, who assert that the whole story is a fabrication. There is not one piece of physical, forensic, eye witness or circumstantial evidence that links either of these two ladies to any abuse of Hollie Greig, yet their names have been plastered all over the Internet and dragged through the mud.
In fact did you know that some of the members of this paedophile ring that has supposedly operated for over a decade in Aberdeen, Scotland, don’t even exist? Or that alleged victims alongside Hollie were either not yet born or adults before they even met her, and have publicly denied they were harmed in any way?
Sir Barold Hatchback @BartinMain 2m
I’m hearing the faint bap- bap of a jungle drum. Will the Newcastle friendly go ahead?
trouble at t’mill?
Dear Vincent, before you ask about the flares – it was a simple misunderstanding.
Ally actually asked Ian to get him a couple of pie rolls.
Yours Aye,
Craig Mather.
Charlottes Faither @PJBruce 1m
@BartinMain heard that myself doubts about no more tip toeing around I’m told
campsiejoe @campsiejoe 1m
@AndyMcCrimmon @BartinMain No safety cert, no insurance
Perhaps the situation is so bad that it can’t be ignored any longer
We shall see
Expand
Sir Barold Hatchback @BartinMain 43s
@campsiejoe @AndyMcCrimmon No insurance? Oh dear, what shall they do? Bap, bap, bap…
Posted 29 Jul 2013 16:36
re: Friendlies
Looking forward to the game at Ibrox v Rangers.
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Posted 29 Jul 2013 19:00r
e: Friendlies
Once upon a time it would have been a spectacle however again it’s a waste of time. The liverpool of Scotland – once great now utter pish.
I really am struggling to see the merit in playing dross teams who have slow limited players.
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The comments above taken from Newcastle forum – oh dear
Re the safety certificate , I believe that they will just shake on it – job done !
I got a real shock when I saw the photo of Jack Irvine in one of the links today, Is he Phil MacG’s daddy? 😯
EKBhoy says:
July 29, 2013 at 11:01 pm
Re the safety certificate , I believe that they will just shake on it – job done !
——————————————————————————————————
I’m sure they’ve done “asbestos” they can to get a safety certificate
I think you are all harsh, what with the historic links between Rangers and Newcastle.
For example Rangers being invited to play Newcastle in Alan Shearer’s testimonial game. Could there be a greater honour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z1r1VROXsw
borussiabeefburg says:
July 29, 2013 at 8:20 pm
I have spoken at length to one of the SPL assistant Referees about Vincent Lunny and the simple answer to your question is yes, anyone can email him and ask him to investigate any footballing issue covered by the SFA.
This is from the SFA’s website –
Q. How is a complaint processed?
A. A complaint can be made, under the protocol, ‘by whatever means’ but provided it is accompanied by evidence. The majority of cases either come to myself or the Referee Development Department through the referee reports, Claims for Wrongful dismissals by clubs that are accompanied by television footage, or the high-profile issues that seem to dominate the agenda.
I will get you the email address for Vincent Lunny and anyone who wants can email him with their complaint.
I’m taking an educated guess at this email address because it doesn’t seem to be published anywhere but the format for others suggests that this should be correct –
vincent.lunny@scottishfa.co.uk
I wonder if John Clarke has already emailed him, not many you haven’t John! 😉
bhoyant says:
July 30, 2013 at 12:18 am
=============================
I would imagine Lunny will choose to ignore, or be told to ignore, any such complaints that come in. Many people have claimed to have e-mailed or written to the SFA in a perfectly reasonable manner and been ignored. The assumption is the SFA wouldn’t like the answers they would have to give so they they just ignore the questions.
Now just imagine a large corporation which had millions of public customers had a clear policy of refusing to answer any complaint or question made to it by one of its customers. Eventually a regulatory body would step in and action would be taken against said corporation. Heads would then roll and new governance would be put in place and attempts would be made to improve public image. Not so with the SFA. There is no regulatory body, no governance, and no heads will roll. I cannot find words to fully describe this situation. I don’t know if I have ever, in any walk of life, saw an organisation treat its customers with the contempt the SFA does and get away with it. It is utterly soul destroying.
Re the photos of the Albion Rovers game. No.59 has a banner which reads “SFA/SPFL totally corrupt”.
Who do they think has benefitted from these corrupt practices? Let me think ummm.
Certainly not the rest of Scottish football. After all that’s gone on,you really have to wonder which planet these people inhabit.
I happened to be looking up ‘Kickstarter’ a crowd funding site and lo and behold there’s an application for ‘Heart And Hand’ a Rangers podcast.The idea is to use the funding to host a live event. What a hoot!
Maybe this could be used to fund another ‘trialist’.Maybe by Christmas they’ll be applying to keep the Big Hoose open.
davythelotion says:
July 29, 2013 at 9:02 pm
134 6 Rate This
A commentator accuses Celtic supporters of singing sectarian songs, without naming or describing these songs.
An owner accuses the SFA of bigotry
A manager demands to know the name of the members of a properly constituted disciplinary panel-even though he knows the names.
An owner admits to regularly using racist epithets in elation to a colleague
An owner admits that he was involved in the deception of a previous owner in order to con him out of his shares
A manager and team members regularly claim that they are the victims of ‘over-physical’ tackles in Div 3, despite referees not sharing their view
An owner resigns his post as CEO due to allegations about his involvement with a previous owner who was banned and fined by the football authorities.
A club are exposed as having undue influence over the MSM
Questions are raised about a charity’s functioning
A manager evades a signing embargo by recruiting trialists and then complaining about how he can’t use them.
A manager is ‘caught’ by Sky calling player a ‘fanny’
Who got the three match ban?
Splendid points made there Davy.
Unfortunately though, McCoist, Yorkie and co. appear to know where to “draw the line”
Regan & Doncaster keep them right on that front.
Not everyone listens to Clyde’s SSB, for obvious reasons. But being a bit of a media buff …
Second call on yesterday’s season opener (10m in) was a supporter advising, or ‘warning’, Doncaster to stay away from future TRFC matches (ND was at Vers v Gers match on Sunday). Studio host described it as intimidation. ‘I marched to Hampden … we were treated shambolically … can’t be expected to forget ‘. Did wonder about Keevins’ choice of words to the caller ‘choose your targets properly’ ❗
Don’t know if this will set the tone for the season, but quite a start.
English press reporting today that Mike Ashley wants to swap Newcastle for Rangers due to their huge potential 🙄
Daily Express and The Times
andy graham says:
July 30, 2013 at 9:20 am
English press reporting today that Mike Ashley wants to swap Newcastle for Rangers due to their huge potential . Daily Express and The Times
=================================
Andy, has Ashley not already done the ‘How to become a millionaire through investing in a football club’ gig?
Been a bit of a joke figure at Newcastle. You have to wonder how a man who made zillions in retail can 1, be so daft in 5 yrs at a EPL club with some really strange decisions and appointments, and 2, have the opinion (if papers are true, big if) that selling up and taking on a club as toxic as Rangers, in a league that has no marketable quality, is a step in the right direction
Charlotte 18
upthehoops says…
Heads rolling at the SFA? not much chance of that I fear. It does remind me though of an old saying in local government /education circles…DEPUTY heads will roll!.
Probably not even them though at the good old SFA, although the prospect of Regan & Ogilvie casting Mr Bryson adrift if needs must might not be out of the question. Would he be able to show he had written instructions on what to say at the LNS enquiry? or be able to show where in the rules his novel interpretations come from?
If you are supping with the devil, it’s best to use a very long spoon they say. Do you have your get out of jail free card safely tucked away anywhere Mr Bryson? Just in case?
Imagine that, I’m being sympathetic and helpful towards Mr Bryson.
Charlotte 18
“The Bank of Scotland found itself in the news once again after The Sunday Times claimed it had obtained papers showing that the Bank of Scotland’s treasurer and managing director, Gavin Masterton CBE had arranged, between 1999 and 2000, a loan for an associate to buy shares in Dunfermline Athletic Football Club of which Masterton was also a director.
It was claimed Masterton gave a guarantee that the shares would be bought off him before the loan had to be repaid; then, in 2001 – after Masterton had retired – the shares were later acquired by Stadia, a company Masterton owned.
The Stadia group later collapsed with reported debts of £25m.
A man in charge of corporate lending racking up losses of millions of pounds in his own private ventures in four years would’ve been a major embarrassment had it not been for the Scarborough Development Group – a company that used Jack Irvine’s Media House for its PR – setting up a new company: SDG Caledonia to take over Masterton’s stake and a share held by venture capitalist company, 3i for a nominal sum. [3i – Paul Murray?]
The Bank of Scotland was then able to recycle the debt. The associate’s loan application from the Bank of Scotland Corporate Banking offered £69,250 at 1½% above base rate, with no security, no arrangement fees and interest payments deferred until the end of the three-year loan period. After two years, a letter from solicitors for Wood Investments (Masterton was a director) declared they would arrange with the Bank of Scotland to have the loan account cleared using funds from Stadia which left them in control of Dunfermline Athletic Football Club.
The Sunday Times claimed that a letter from Masterton discussed with his associate a realignment of shares in Stadia on the basis of a firm called Charlotte 18 holding 75%.
Charlotte 18 appeared on paper to be a director-less offshore company in the British Virgin Islands.”
helpmaboab says:
July 30, 2013 at 7:45 am
Re the photos of the Albion Rovers game. No.59 has a banner which reads “SFA/SPFL totally corrupt”.
Who do they think has benefitted from these corrupt practices? Let me think ummm. Certainly not the rest of Scottish football. After all that’s gone on,you really have to wonder which planet these people inhabit.
======================================================================
I realise it’s easy to have a good laugh at them but there is a very serious side to this because they are proof that the PR inspired ‘victim mentality’ campaign employed by Rangers to brainwash its supporters has actually been a rip-roaring success.
It’s actually quite frightening.
“Cayman Finance was set up in the Cayman Islands [BVI] in 2003 “to represent Cayman’s financial services industry”.
Media work in the UK is handled by Media House. Jack Irvine has actively spoken out on Cayman Finance’s behalf against research carried out by financial transparency campaigners the Tax Justice Network which revealed the Cayman Islands [BVI] as the second most secretive jurisdiction in the world in 2011.
Isabel Oakeshott – Sunday Times
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“The Sunday Times claimed that a letter from Masterton discussed with his
associate
a realignment of shares in Stadia on the basis of a firm called Charlotte 18 holding 75%.”
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Charlotte Fakeovers @CharlotteFakes 27 Jul
@IsabelOakeshott @Jonnyrmcfarlane Cut the crap Isabel, deflection on dates noted. Sold out and caught. Try to be honest, it helps. #AskVicky
Jimmy Calderwood –
“David Murray phoned me to manage Dunfermline, Gavin Masterton was a very close friend”
@dedeideoprofundis
That is one is easy to deny.
I’m the spit of my Mayo Daddy 😀
Sam
what article were the quotes taken from linking Masterton to Charlotte 18 in your post of 10:24?
Very interesting if there is a direct link as if that is correct then other well known figures will not be far away!
Charlotte 18
HERE WE GO WITH THE FIRST LESSON IN HOW TO PUSH WATER UPHILL.AND WITH A FORK
BRT&H
http://scottishlaw.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/media-investigation-reveals-bank-of.html
Google Gavin Masterton…………TONS OF MUCK!!!!!!!! 😉
ecobhoy says:
July 30, 2013 at 10:26 am
It’s actually quite frightening.
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I agree, this is the monster that they have created. When you think of all the ex Rangers Directors and supporters of the club that have been employed at the highest level in the SFA in the past and to this present day looking after their interests is mind blowing. Have you ever heard so much bad mouthing of and paranoia concerning P. Lawell appointment at the SPL. It is like a real black comedy that Sevco fans believe that the SFA is corrupt.
Last night SSB pundits still claiming Sevco put down to 3rd Div. (only listened in of chance that someone will mention CF and to listen to them squirm). One caller mentioned sectarian singing at Sevco game and usual reply from Mr Keevins, old firm both have elements of their support etc…..
No more SSB for me.
They will not stop as they have free reign. Makes me sick.
Hornet is investigating alleged money laundering, corruption and large-scale fraud linked to the “distressed assets” division of HBOS’s Bank of Scotland Corporate unit, which came under the direction of the well-connected banker Peter Cummings, centred on its Reading branch. A total of nine people have been arrested so far but none have yet been charged with any offence. No charges or allegations have been made against Cummings in relation to the Reading affair or any other matter.
Suspects in the case are alleged to have siphoned off and laundered an estimated £1bn lent by HBOS to up to 200 customer accounts. They are also alleged to have expropriated assets worth scores of millions and, in a series of administrations and other deals, were allowed by the bank to take ownership of many of the surviving assets.
Mike Ashley found a lot of debt after he bought Newcastle, maybe someone thinks he’s gullible, maybe there are some fancy accountancy driven profits to be made in purchasing debts that I don’t understand, maybe the article is a puff piece to satisfy the droves who seek comfort in super-dooper sugar daddy type business plans.
But considering CFC just got a record transfer fee from an EPL feeder team, I don’t think Mike Ashley will be ‘swapping’ Newcastle for The Rangers. Maybe he stuck his hand down the back of the settee and fancies expanding his football portfolio. My own thoughts, if there is even a morsel of truth in the story, its more likely he wants rid of Newcastle, keep the money minus a couple of quid, and still have a sporting interest to promote his brand.
On another note, I get the feeling Joe Ledleys comments may have been taken out of context on purpose, to look like threats, intimidation and poor sportsmanship. If it is the case, it’s time to stop talking to these morons. Or did I read the headlines the wrong way?
http://forweonlyknow.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/charlotte-18/
Dunfermline CVA approved by creditors.
This complaint involves the professional actions of the former Treasurer and Managing Director of Bank of Scotland, and the subsequent behaviour of HBOS in clearing up these alleged irregularities, which would appear to involve the hiding of substantial debt write-off and the resulting over-inflation of the asset value of the banks balance sheet.
Given the status of the individual concerned then I would assume that this would have merited a more detailed investigation.
One fundamental question needs to be raised about whether the operations of a secret bank account held in the British Virgin Islands, called Charlotte 18, was acting in the best interests of the customers and shareholders of the Bank of Scotland.
Were money laundering processes and procedures clearly followed?
Mr DK claims this is not the case in relations to the Bank of Scotland. Mr DK knew nothing of the activities of Charlotte 18. And Mr DK claims that in “fixing” this position the parent company, HBOS, has used assets to cover up the bad debts caused by the collapse of a company run by the former Managing Director of the Bank of Scotland.
Such serious irregularities need to be properly examined by competent and independent authorities.
With the excellent news that Dunfermline Athletic Football Club appear to have moved forward with a C.V.A agreement I now look forward to the predictable ambivalent utterances of the MSM with regard to the preservation of a club and its history.
You cannae have it both ways chaps!
Apply intellect,write with an objective slant……and yet?
A few brief highlights of a hugely informative article by Ian Fraser
http://www.ianfraser.org/the-worst-bank-in-the-world-hboss-calamitous-seven-year-life/
Feb 2004: The Stadia Group, founded by former Bank of Scotland treasurer and deputy general manager Gavin Masterton before his retirement from the bank in 2001, collapses into receivership owing the bank a reported £28m. Kevin McCabe’s Scarborough Development Group steps in to mop up the mess, prompting complaints to the FSA about the bank’s abuse of off-balance-sheet vehicles to massage its bad debt position (see Keane’s last stand).
Feb 2, 2004: With Livingston F.C. on the brink of bankruptcy, the Herald reports that HBOS, which controls £110m of the Scottish Premier League’s £160m debt, is rapidly losing patience with its football club clients. Darryl Broadfoot reports: “If the bank is now beginning to tighten the noose on its SPL clients, several other premier league clubs, including Rangers, will be under pressure to make savage cuts.” The article also claims Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee United and Dunfermline as being in severe financial difficulties. Dundee United chairman Eddie Thompson urged the Scottish Executive to take action to prevent SPL meltdown. Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness called Scottish football “a car crash waiting to happen” and said the situation will get even worse. “If you continue to spend money you don’t have you will eventually find trouble.” (see SPL in crisis as bank gets tough).
Nov 9, 2004: Bank of Scotland grants a £37m facility to Rangers, even as the football club launches a £57m share issue. Bizarrely, the club’s owner David Murray insists he is determined to eradicate Rangers debt as quickly as possible!
Bank fraud is the use of potentially illegal means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution, or to obtain money from depositors by fraudulently posing as a bank or other financial institution.
In many instances, bank fraud is a criminal offence. While the specific elements of a particular banking fraud law vary between jurisdictions, the term bank fraud applies to actions that employ a scheme or artifice, as opposed to bank robbery or theft.
Letter I posted to the SFA on 27TH June 2013…………I believe many of us did similar?
Dear Mr Regan,
I write to you as a concerned supporter of Scottish football regarding the SFA’s handling of the issues surrounding Rangers FC. I appreciate that you have publicly expressed your desire to, “move on,” from what has been a traumatic period in the history of our game, but many people feel that this will not be possible until several issues have been resolved.
I believe that one key declaration by the Scottish Football Association would enable supporters of all clubs to feel that a line has been drawn under the issue and, as you wish, “move on.”
The plunging of Rangers FC into liquidation in June 2012 should have brought a resolution to the problem. We could have then accepted that many questionable actions had been carried out by both Rangers FC and the Scottish Football Association (dual contracts, improperly registered players, the granting of a UEFA license to Rangers for season 2011-12 despite overdue tax payments etc.), on the basis that Rangers FC was no longer with us.
What has made “moving on” almost impossible for many people since then, is the Scottish Football Association’s handling of the new Rangers FC. The rules of the Association were not applied “without fear or favour,” with regards the new Rangers FC. To give but one example, the SFA’s Articles of Association, 6.3 states:
A club or association desiring to qualify for full membership of the Scottish FA must first be admitted as an associate member. A club cannot be admitted as an associate member unless it meets, and commits to continuous compliance with, the Membership Criteria and amendments thereto as shall be promulgated by the Board from time to time in connection with the membership of the Scottish FA. You do not need me to point out that Rangers FC has not been given associate membership of the SFA, but full membership.
Article 6.6 goes on: An associate member who has been an associate member for 5 complete successive years may apply at the expiry of that period to become a full member. All applications for full membership shall be considered and decided by the Board and the Board’s decision on the matter shall be final. It seems clear therefore that Rangers FC should not be eligible for full membership of the Scottish Football Association until the beginning of season 2017-18.
I know you will protest that Rangers FC were not granted a new membership, but rather the SFA transferred the existing membership to Sevco Scotland, who were to become, in the SFA’s words, “the new owners of The Rangers Football Club.” Here we come to the crux of the matter. The Scottish Football Association has attempted to rewrite Scots law on incorporation, under which a football club is indistinguishable from its corporate identity.
For whatever reason, the SFA has allowed an ambiguity to grow over the status of Rangers FC. Are they recognised by the SFA as a football club founded in 1872 with a long list of honours won? Or are they recognised by the SFA as a new club, founded in 2012 with one Scottish Football League 3rd Division title to their credit?
The first position is incompatible not only with Scots law, but with UEFA statute. I refer you to UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations (2012 Edition), specifically Article 12:
Article 12 – Definition of licence applicant
1 A licence applicant may only be a football club, i.e. a legal entity fully responsible for a football team participating in national and international competitions which either:
a) is a registered member of a UEFA member association and/or its affiliated league (hereinafter: registered member); or:
b) has a contractual relationship with a registered member (hereinafter: football company).
2 The membership and the contractual relationship (if any) must have lasted – at the start of the licence season – for at least three consecutive years. Any alteration to the club’s legal form or company structure (including, for example, changing its headquarters, name or club colours, or transferring stake-holdings between different clubs) during this period in order to facilitate its qualification on sporting merit and/or its receipt of a licence to the detriment of the integrity of a competition is deemed as an interruption of membership.
This article presents the Scottish Football Association with several problems if it recognises Rangers FC as a club formed in 1872.
First of all, if the club and company are separate, then Rangers FC is not a legal entity. Indeed, in his Reasons for Decisions of September 2012, Lord Nimmo Smith said of “clubs”:
“This is not to say that a Club has legal personality, separate from and additional to the legal personality of its owner and operator. We are satisfied that it does not…” Rangers FC therefore cannot be granted a UEFA license, as it is not a legal entity.
Secondly, as it is not a legal entity, Rangers FC is incapable of being a member of the Scottish Football Association.
Thirdly, as it is not a legal entity, Rangers FC is incapable of entering into a contractual relationship with the SFA member, The Rangers Football Club Limited (formerly Sevco Scotland).
In relation to The Rangers Football Club Limited, if we are to accept that it constitutes the football club, then it is a different legal entity to the original Rangers FC (The Rangers Football Club PLC), now known as RFC 2012 (In Liquidation).
Article 12.2 cannot be used to claim an interruption of membership for Rangers FC, because the original Rangers has not changed its legal form, it is in liquidation. Only the assets of the original club belong to The Rangers Football Club Limited, not stake-holdings.
Returning to the Scottish Football Association’s Articles of Association, I draw your attention to article 3.1:
3. The Association is a member of FIFA and UEFA. Accordingly, it is itself obliged to:-
(1) comply with the statutes, regulations, directives, codes and decisions and the International Match Calendar of FIFA, UEFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Laws of the Game issued by IFAB;
The Scottish Football Association has a statutory obligation therefore to abide by all UEFA rules. Clearly, any recognition by the SFA of The Rangers Football Club Limited as being a club formed in 1872 is in conflict with Article 3 of its own Articles of Association.
To come to the point, I believe that despite the unhappiness, even anger, that the SFA’s handling of the Rangers situation has engendered, things can be resolved very quickly and easily by one, simple statement from the SFA, to the effect that the SFA member club, The Rangers Football Club Limited, is a new club with no claim on the history and honours of The Rangers Football Club PLC (In Liquidation).
The original Rangers won numerous honours over a period of two decades from 1986, on the back of completely unsustainable spending. From at least the turn of the century, this was aided by questionable tax schemes, which are still the subject of appeal by HMRC.
The original Rangers spent money they could never afford to pay back in pursuit of trophies and titles, and the inevitable result was liquidation. It is unpalatable for most Scottish football fans therefore to watch the new Rangers hold celebrations of their “140th anniversary,” and claim to be, “the most successful club in Scotland.”
A declaration by the Scottish Football Association that Rangers FC is a new club would allow us all to, “move on.”
Please advise me if it is the intention of the Scottish Football Association to make such a declaration?
If the Scottish Football Association does consider Rangers FC to be the club founded in 1872, please advise me of the basis for this recognition, and how it relates to Scots law and UEFA statute?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Did any of you elicit a response from the people who take our money?……………How do you question the SFA?
The picture that is emerging spreads beyond the remit of this blog but it is difficult to know where to draw the boudary line. Both Hearts and Rangers (and possibly Dunfermline) have found themselves victims of the fantasism of the banking sector prior to the 2007 collapse. There seems to have been a financial game of musical chairs but with a novel set of initial rules where more chairs were introduced and the band just played on. When the downturn came and the game reverted to its traditional format, the players scrambled to cover their tracks and maintain their reputations and pension pots. As the stools were gradually reduced in number there seems to have been radical measures introduced in an attempt to maintain some sort of facade of normality. With each interruption in the music the players piled onto each others laps in the form of a mushrooming series of shell companies. There was a game within the a game. A game of pass the parcel where the debt was wrapped in more and more paper. The upturn will surely arrive soon and all this financial mismanagement will be forgotten as a new wave of optimism envelopes this dismal episode and drags it down into the depths of the financial ocean.
Well it never quite worked out that way. The tide is still out and these shell companies are lying exposed in the full glare of the principled investigative journalism community. It is a target rich environment for the sleuths that hover above.
Rangers are the case in point since we have become expert on their demise. Amongst the misdemeanours that must be laid at the door of the custodians of that once great club are not just the evasion of taxes and the abandonment of creditors. There is a further level of irresponsibility that is now emerging.
The Bank Of Scotland was subject to a forced takeover by Lloyd’s Banking Group at the height of the financial meltdown. What do you do with a bunch of debt that will probably never be repaid. You write it off. Or to be more precise, since we the taxpayer have a large stake in LBG. We write it off. The debt accrued by MIH via BOS will never be anywhere near fully recovered.
So what the story has now become is an insight into how the financial system is underwritten by the taxpayer and how the taxpayer, whilst being obliged to extend its dues, has little say in how the system deals with those that do not fully subscribe. This would make many feel disgruntled and rightly so.
It is unfortunate for Rangers and their fans that their club has been enveloped by this maelstrom. They might have been a liitle more circumspect; a little more cautious; a little less ambitious. As Auldheid, uncharacteristically lapsing into a melodic metaphor as opoposed to his usual fact based contributions highlighted; too much love can kill you. The support needed the success that the money would bring. Being second best was not to be countenanced. However in any sporting competition the possiblity of not winning is a prerequisite. When this possibility is ostracised it is no longer sport. What folly. Why not just enjoy the game; accept that there will be winners and losers; that you can be either of these.
Others have majored on the sense of entitlement that may be prevalent in some sections of our wee community. Life has a habit of knocking these misplaced concepts out of us all. We need to learn to accept this since to do otherwise is to cloak ourselves in delusion.
The bigger lesson might be that dividing a community opens the door to media manipulation. Entrenched attitudes are easier played to. While a community is at war with itself the truth will be lying dead, face down in the mud of no-man’s land. Its time to go retrieve his body. Mourn his demise and give him a decent burial. It may be our solemn duty to act as one of the pall bearers.
Sam says:
July 30, 2013 at 12:28 pm
Hornet is investigating alleged money laundering,… centred on its Reading branch.
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Must be something to do with my job as I automatically thought that they were getting reading lessons! 😉
Sept 18, 2008: Lloyds and HBOS [Halifax Bank of Scotland] formally announce the £12.2bn rescue takeover and confirm that prime minister Gordon Brown has eased the path to the deal by agreeing to waive UK competition law.
In a desperate bid to prevent the shares of UK banks from flooring, the FSA imposes a short-selling ban. However a backlash soon erupts against the Lloyds deal, with many shareholders and analysts decidedly unenthusiastic.
A group of patriotic Scots hatch a plan to extricate the old Bank of Scotland from the Lloyds / Halifax combine if a deal ever completes.
Sept 30, 2008: As HBOS shares close at 122p, well below the price offered by Lloyds, analysts conclude the deal is off.
Oct 1, 2008: Margo Macdonald MSP asks Lothian and Borders Police to investigate the bank after reading the Lloyds TSB and HBOS chairmen’s “joyous comments” following a takeover which she pointed out were “unimpeded by the usual rules governing such big business deals”.
She said Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling were wrong to waive the normal referral to the Competition Commission, and that the FSA had been “curiously quiet”.
broganrogantrevinoandhogan says:
July 30, 2013 at 11:52 am
“Sam
what article were the quotes taken from linking Masterton to Charlotte 18 in your post of 10:24?”
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BRTH, I am apt to lapse into the role of ventriloquist. I have noted that Sam is more a provider of information rather than explanations. The likes of newtz seems to be capable of absorbing his inferences. For my part I just read and hope that at some point, via a process of osmosis, it will all make sense.
The bank used leading accountancy firms including KPMG, PWC, Hurst Morrison Thomson and Menzies Corporate Restructuring (now Duff & Phelps) to close down the firms.
Days before one of the firms was put into administration, emails suggest that Quayside executives transferred thousands of pounds in cash into their personal bank accounts and, in at least two cases, they destroyed financial records.
Sam says:
July 30, 2013 at 2:12 pm
==========================
So, cut and paste from an Ian Fraser article 22/7/12 – care to join the dots for those of less familiar with machiavellian plots? We see a direct link to Dunfermline AFC in recent reporting but does it point elsewhere?
bhoyant says:
July 30, 2013 at 12:38 am
‘..I wonder if John Clarke has already emailed him, not many you haven’t John!…’
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In fact I haven’t, I’m afraid. Never quite understood his role and the degree of his ‘independence’ or otherwise, so it never really entered my head to expect a reply to anything I might have written.
Like others, though, I have had no acknowledgement far less any reply to anything I have sent to the SFA or addressed to Mr Regan.
Or any tweet to, variously, Oakeshotte , Irvine or McEwan.
Nor have I had any reply from Greenslade of the Guardian ( to be fair, I merely pointed him in some directions , with particular reference to our friend Rafat, so I wasn’t actually expecting a reply),or Pattullo of the Scotsman.
There is little doubt that we are being met with a wall of conspiratorial silence . The people involved are like the assorted species of human trash which occupied Hitler’s bunker.
Their many and various crimes against honesty and truth are so great , and the mountain of lies so Everest-like that they are beyond redemption.
Worse than that, they are like that evil Erich Priebke who even at 100 years old displays the same inability to seek redemption by acknowledging his murders.
There is now no way back for the SFA and the SMSM.
Nor can BBC Scotland recover now from the dark stain of complicity in all the murky propagandising in favour of what was a rotten to the core football club and , more seriously, a rotten-to- its- very heart Football administration.
It is painfully obvious that the media now have a major problem on their hands.We are at the crossroads with regard to information in relation to what transpired at Ibrox.Charlotte material is now clearly under scrutiny and it is highly significant that Roy Greenslade has passed comment at the Guardian.
As an episode in Scottish footballing history the damage is well and truly done,simply because what should have happened ,did not happen.The decisions of the SFA cannot be reversed,but the embarassment and fall out will linger as long as the radiation emissions from a damaged nuclear power plant.
The journalists now have to face the truth.With Dunfermline’s great triumph today our media commentators are forced to differentiate between a CVA which saves a club, and liquidation which ends a club.Intellectually,that is not a difficult concept to grasp.Sadly,due to their ambivalence,they are seen to be collectively humiliated,and indeed, so are the governing bodies.They have pleased no-one with their avoidance of the issues,and in my view they have lost a massive degree of integrity.
It is not too late for them to change their ways but meakly they are still waiting to see which way the wind will blow.A journalist worth his salt does not operate that way.We have only to consider Mark Daly in this respect,who is admirable in his pursuit of the truth and the harm done by perpetrators to their victims.
There is far more to come and I have no doubt the floodgates will eventually burst.There are too many transgressions at so many levels for this to be covered up.
What a great statement from Pars United:
Pars United’s Bob Garmory said:
“We thank each and every creditor who voted for this outcome.
“We know that many have suffered greatly from the financial problems of the football club. We now pay tribute to them. This vote will allow Dunfermline Athletic to begin a rebuilding process under a wide spread of supporter ownership.””
Class.
What a dignified and powerful statement from Dunfermline,which acknowledges the victims of their financial mismanagement.
As a Fifer, I can only feel respect for this action as it is the way things should be done.This day has lifted me as I believe that when people act with dignity,only good will come of it.
That others in our recent footballing past failed in this respect speaks volumes for themselves and their lack of grace.
Well done ALL Para fans and creditors 😛
May be worth listening to AND tonight to hear the learned pundits differentiate between a successful CVA and LIQUIDATION :slamb:
Be prepared to hear statements like
They are 2 different situations
Yes rangers were liquidated BUT they Bought the history
Etc etc etc
I had the misfortune to catch an interview on talksport today….
it involved that pillar of Scottish Journalism Peter Martin…
He was asked about the current state of play with Dunfermline and Hearts…
He stated Dunfermline had successfully achieved a CVA and all things looking good for them..
On Hearts however….not so bright…and…he feared “they may have to go down the same route as Rangers”???
The interviewer (a fellow journalist called Mr. Lewis) then asked him…”I suppose Scottish football will be grateful when Rangers eventually make their way back to the top”….Peter gave a resounding “BIG TIME”…in fact he went onto to state how top flight Scottish football has suffered by Rangers absence so much they will welcome them back with open arms…..
Peter Martin take a bow…your manipulation of the facts…your avoidance of the truth bordering on a bare faced lie will see you mentioned in the Govan dispatches….Money well spent by SDM I say!
Re-post of some old Masterton clippings:
http://www.saveourglen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Gavin-Mastertons-complex-deals.pdf
Well done Dunfermline. Excellent statement to the creditors re CVA. Let’s hope both Hearts and yourselves have a rosier future than close season.
I see leggo is back from his sabbatical.
Although still as mad as a box of frogs, his latest is relatively coherent….maybe spending some time with his gym trainer over the summer has sharpened his brain up.
Fascinating stuff for Ibroxologists…..
I doubt that Roy Greenslades intervention will change anything, at least in relation to the detail of Charlotte’s revealations. I fully understand Greenslad is an eminent and respected figure in his profession. I also get that he is the first high profile journalist to even broach the subject.
However,
What Greenslade has done is write about the non reporting of the leaks, rather than any of the detail. Whilst the non reporting is clearly a story in its own right, the more interesting and relevant story is the detail that Charlotte has produced.
For the story to make real progress, somebody of Greenslade’s eminence has to write on the detail, and comment about the specifics. Thats what this really needs. A detailed discussion in the serious MSM on the revealations,and a good start would be on the tape releases. I seriously doubt even the maddest of the Mad who are in denial about Charlotte, could deny the authenticity of the tapes.
Great news for Dunfermline FC.
Well done to the Pars Utd team and all the support who have helped this happen and hats off to the creditors who with little to gain from liquidating the club have taken a brave decision IMO.
And a decent, honest statement from Pars Utd too.
Castofthousandsl @1:48 pm
Excellent post.
Barca @ 4:38 pm ,the Greenslade intervention on The Guardian website brings awareness to a wider public on the issues involved.His comments whilst not providing analysis,set the tone for a more sophisticated and extended debate.
It is a significant step in the right direction.
Barcabhoy says:
July 30, 2013 at 4:38 pm
“Thats what this really needs. A detailed discussion in the serious MSM on the revealations,and a good start would be on the tape releases.”
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Even if the MSM were to publish details of the chaos, which details would they publish. The story has grown to gargantuan proportions and there is barely a national institution that it has not touched. Trying to isolate the tale to one banner headline is going to prove a real problem. The earlier Watergate analogies are appropriate when it comes to the scope and scale of the scandal but a footballing story does not have the same gravitas as a high level political conspiracy.
We have uncovered issues with :
Football governance
Tax avoidance and evasion
Business impropriety
Political intrusion
Media manipulation by PR firms
Potential legal impropriety
The targets are so many and so intertwined that running a succinct story is nigh on impossible. The lie is so big it is hard to make credible never mind interesting. Its a bit like invading Russia; as Napoleon and Hitler discovered. The landscape is so vast that resources become stretched. I suppose football governance has to be the main target as this lies closest to the remit of the blog.
I’d agree that the CW/CG/IA/D&P/BS audio information is the most compelling. The football governance angle here has to be the “You are Sevco” line for me. Although Rangers internal Pinsent Masons enquiry found no link between CW and Secvco (Scotland), surprise surprise! This has got to be a weak point in the defence. Perhaps Charlotte can provide additional ammunition to allow us to impinge upon this particular bastion.