UEFA Club Licensing. – To Comply or not to Comply ?
On 16 April 2018 The UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) adjudicatory chamber took decisions in the cases of four clubs that had been referred to it by the CFCB chief investigator, concerning the non-fulfilment of the club licensing criteria defined in the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.
Such criteria must be complied with by the clubs in order to be granted the licence required to enter the UEFA club competitions.
The cases of two clubs::
Olympique des Alpes SA (Sion Switzerland )
and
FC Irtysh (Kazakhstan)
are of particular interest to those following the events under which the SFA awarded a UEFA License to Rangers FC in 2011 currently under investigation by the SFA Compliance Officer because
- The case documentation tell us how UEFA wish national associations to apply UEFA FFP rules
- The cases tell us what might have happened to Rangers FC in 2012 had they not gone into liquidation and as a consequence avoided the same type of sanctions that UEFA applied to Sion and Irtysh.
FC Sion (Olympique des Alpes SA)
Here we are told how the Swiss FL and then the UEFA CFCB acted in respect of FC Sion in 2017 where a misleading statement was made in the Sion UEFA licensing application.
Full details can be read at
but this is a summary.
In April 2017 the Swiss FL (SFL) granted a licence to Sion FC but indicated that a Disciplinary case was pending.
In July 2017 the CFCB, as part of their licence auditing programme, carried out a compliance audit on 3 clubs to determine if licences had been properly awarded. Sion was one of those clubs.
The subsequent audit by Deloitte LLP discovered Sion had an overdue payable on a player, amounting to €950,000, owed to another football club (FC Sochaux ) at 31st March 2017 as a result of a transfer undertaken by Sion before 31st December 2016, although the €950,000 was paid in early June 2017.
Deloitte produced a draft report of their findings that was passed to SFL and Sion for comment on factual accuracy and comment on the findings. Sion responded quickly enabling Deloitte to present a final report to the CFCB Investigation Unit. In response to the Deloitte final report Sion stated:
“il apparaît aujourd’hui qu’il existait bel et bien un engagement impayé découlant d’une activité de transfert. Ce point est admis” translated as
“it now appears that there was indeed an outstanding commitment arising from transfer activity. This is admitted”
What emerged as the investigation proceeded was that the Swiss FL Licensing Committee, after granting the license in April and as a result of a Sochaux complaint of non-payment to FIFA, had reason to refer Sion’s application to their Disciplinary Commission in May 2017 with regard to the submission of potentially misleading information by FC Sion to the SFL on 7th April 2017 as part of its licensing documentation.
Sion had declared
“Written confirmation: no overdue payables arising from transfer activities”, signed by the Club’s president, stating that as at 31 March 2017 there were no overdue payables towards other football clubs. In particular, the Club indicated that the case between FC Sion and FC Sochaux regarding the transfer of the player Ishmael Yartey was still under dispute.
The SFL Disciplinary Commission came to the conclusion that FC Sion had no intention to mislead the SFL, but indeed submitted some incorrect licensing documentation; the SFL Disciplinary Commission further confirmed that the total amount of €950,000 had been paid by the Club to FC Sochaux on 7 June 2017. Because of the inaccurate information submitted, the SFL Disciplinary Commission decided to impose a fine of CHF 8,000 on the Club.
Whilst this satisfied the SFL Disciplinary process the CFCB deemed it not enough to justify the granting of the licence as UEFA intended their FFP rules to be applied.
Sion provided the CFCB with a number of reasons on the basis of which no sanction should be imposed. In particular, the Club admitted that there was an overdue payable as at 31 March 2017, but stated that the mistake in the document dated 7 April 2017 was the result of a misinterpretation by the club’s responsible person for dealing with the licence (the “Club’s licence manager”), who is not a lawyer. The Club affirmed that it never had the intention to conceal the information and had provisioned the amount due for payment and that, in any case, it has already been sanctioned by the SFL for providing the wrong information.
The CFCB Investigation Unit accepted that the Sion application, although inaccurate, was a one off misrepresentation and not a forgery, (as in intended to deceive ) but that nevertheless an overdue payable did exist at 31st March and a licence should not have been granted.
Based on their findings, the CFCB Chief Investigator decided to refer the case to the CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber and suggested a disciplinary measure to be imposed on FC Sion by the CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber, such measure consisting of a fine of €235,000, corresponding to the UEFA Revenues the Club gained by participating in the 2017/2018 UEFA Europa League.
The CFCB Investigatory Chamber submitted that it was appropriate to impose a fine corresponding to all the UEFA revenues the Club gained by participating in the competition considering the fact that FC Sion should not have been admitted to the competition for failing to meet one of its admission criteria.
The Adjudicatory Chambers took all the circumstances (see paras 91 to 120 at http://tiny.cc/i8sxsy ) into consideration and reached the following key decisions.
- FC Sion failed to satisfy the requirements of Article 49(1) of the CL&FFP Regulations and it obtained the licence issued by the SFL not in accordance with the CL&FFP Regulations.
- FC Sion breached Articles 13(1) and 43(1)(i) of the CL&FFP Regulations. (Documents complete and correct)
- To exclude FC Sion from participating in the next UEFA club competition for which it would otherwise qualify in the next two (2) seasons (i.e. the 2018/19 and 2019/20).
- To impose a fine of two hundred and thirty five thousand Euros (€235,000) on FC Sion.
- FC Sion is to pay three thousand Euros (€3,000) towards the costs of these proceedings.
Comment in respect of the award of a UEFA Licence in 2011 to Rangers FC.
It is now public knowledge that an actual liability of tax due before 31stDecember 2010 towards HMRC, was admitted by Rangers FC before 31st March 2011.
This liability was described as “potential” in Rangers Interim accounts audited by Grant Thornton.
“Note 1: The exceptional item reflects a provision for a potential tax liability in relation to a Discounted Option Scheme associated with player contributions between 1999 and 2003. A provision for interest of £0.9m has also been included within the interest charge.”
The English Oxford Dictionary definition of potential is:
Having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future.
Which was not true as the liability had already been “developed” so could not be potential.
This was repeated by Chairman Alistair Johnson in his covering Interim Accounts statement
“The exceptional item reflects a provision for a potential tax liability in relation to a Discounted Option Scheme associated with player contributions between 1999 and 2003. “ where he also added
“Discussions are continuing with HMRC to establish a resolution to the assessments raised.”
This could be taken as disputing the liability but In fact the resolution to the assessments raised would have been payment of the actual liability, something that never happened.
In the Sion case it was accepted the misleading statement was a one off misrepresentation, but at the monitoring stages at June 2011 in Ranger’s case the status of the liability continued to be misrepresented and in September the continuing discussions reason was repeated, along with a claim of an instalment paid whose veracity is highly questionable.
The Swiss FL Licensing Committee did at least refer the case to their Disciplinary Committee when they realised a misleading statement might have been made. The SFA however in August 2011, when Sherriff Officers called at Ibrox for payment of the overdue tax , did no such thing and pulled up the drawbridge for six years, one that the Compliance Officer is now finally charged with lowering.
The case of FC Irtysh of Kazakhstan is set out in full at http://tiny.cc/y9sxsy and is a bit more straightforward but is nevertheless useful to compare with events in 2011 in Scotland.
Unlike Rangers FC , FC Irtysh properly disclosed that they had an overdue payable to the Kazakhstan tax authorities at the monitoring point at 30th June 2017. This caused the CFCB Investigatory Unit to seek further information with regard to the position at 31st March
It transpired that Irtysh had declared an overdue payable at 31st March but cited their financial position (awaiting sponsor money) as a reason for non payment to the Kazakhstan FA who accepted it and granted the licence. The outstanding tax was paid in September 2107.
The outcome of the CFCB Investigation was a case put to the CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber who agreed with the CFCB Investigation Unit that a licence should not have been granted and recommended that Irtysh be fined the equivalent of the UEFA prize money, (that had been withheld in any case whilst CFCB investigated.)
The CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber however decided that a fine was not sufficient in sporting deterrent terms and ruled that:
- FC Irtysh failed to satisfy the requirements of Article 50bis(1) of the CL&FFP Regulations and it obtained the licence issued by the FFK not in accordance with the CL&FFP Regulations.
- To withhold four hundred and forty thousand Euros (€440,000) corresponding to the UEFA revenues FC Irtysh gained by participating in the 2017/2018 UEFA Europa League.
- To exclude FC Irtysh from participating in the next UEFA club competition for which it would otherwise qualify in the next three (3) seasons (i.e. the 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons). This sanction is deferred for a probationary period of (3) three years. This exclusion must be enforced in case the Club participates again in a UEFA club competition having not fulfilled the licence criteria required to obtain the UEFA licence in accordance with the CL&FFP Regulations.
- FC Irtysh is to pay three thousand Euros (€3,000) towards the costs of these proceedings. “
The deferral was because unlike Rangers FC, FC Irtysh had properly disclosed to the licensor the correct & accurate financial information required, so the exclusion was deferred for a probationary period of (3) years.
Comment in respect of the award of a UEFA Licence in 2011 to Rangers FC.
From the foregoing it could be deduced that had Rangers FC qualified for the Champions League (or European League) and not gone bust as a result and so not entered liquidation BUT it became public knowledge by 2012 that a licence had been wrongly and possibly fraudulently granted then
- Rangers would have been fined the equivalent of their earnings from their participation in the UEFA competitions in 2011
- At least a two year ban from UEFA Competitions would have been imposed, but more likely three in view of repeated incorrect statements.
- The consequences of both would have been as damaging for Rangers survival as the real life consequences of losing to Malmo and Maribor in the qualifying rounds of the Champions and European Leagues.
Karma eh!
Interestingly in the UEFA COMPLIANCE AND INVESTIGATION ACTIVITY REPORT 2015 – 2017 , the CFCB investigatory chamber recommended that both the Kazakhstan FA and Swiss FA as licensors
“pay particular attention to the adequate disclosure of the outstanding amounts payable towards other football clubs, in respect of employees and towards social/tax authorities, which must be disclosed separately;
Would the same recommendation apply to the Scottish FA with regard to their performance in 2011 and will the SFA responses thereafter to shareholders in a member club be examined for compliance with best governance practice by the SFA Compliance Officer investigating the processing of the UEFA Licence in 2011?
This would be a welcome step in fully restoring trust in the SFA.
THELAWMAN2
MAY 12, 2018 at 15:14
“… managing Rangers is evidently seen as a huge thing outwith these shores …”
====================================
That would be why the last group of managers have been such huge names.
Ignoring the actual interim ones (Nichol, McCall, McDowell)
Murty
Caixinha
Warburton
McCoist
Sorry, but if there is interest in who the Rangers manager is just now it is because it is a big name footballer.
Managing Rangers is not seen as a huge thing outside these shores.
=======================================
” … the Gerard appointment has definitely lifted the interest and season ticket sales.”
I agree, however the Rangers facing social media sites I have read are adamant the season tickets would have been selling out anyway.
HomunculusMay 12, 2018 at 15:31
I think you are both correct, Homunculus. It’s undoubtedly Gerrard who has caused the sudden interest in TRFC in the press outside of Scotland (it wouldn’t have been possible to increase the level of fawning press coverage in Scotland), and not the other way round, while, in my opinion, any TRFC facing sites saying that ST sales would have been as good without the appointment of Gerrard, are indulging in a bit of hubristic WATP, unless they are assuming some other big named manager would have been brought in to spark that interest.
In fact, if Gerrard was to turn round and say, in a couple of weeks time, ‘thanks, but no thanks’, I think the board would heave a sigh of relief and reckon things had worked out quite well, with job done.
‘Lierse SK have been declared bankrupt; ending 112 years of their history’.
https://twitter.com/foetball247/status/994711900280819712?s=20
UPTHEHOOPSMAY 12, 2018 at 12:44
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Who is to say Gerrard and his advisors are not the latest to be conned. His agent is a big Rangers fan from Glasgow so who knows how starstruck he was. I would not be at all surprised if Gerrard never manages them in competitive game.
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My thoughts also
BILLYDUG
MAY 12, 2018 at 17:33
‘Lierse SK have been declared bankrupt; ending 112 years of their history’.
https://twitter.com/foetball247/status/994711900280819712?s=20
======================
Aye, but surely The Lierse SK are already selling ST’s for 2018/19 ?
Thread
https://twitter.com/Moravcik67_/status/995367694391234565?s=20
1. More general Champions League stuff. UEFA have published the regulations for next season’s CL/EL competitions. It confirms much of what we knew, but also a few things we still weren’t sure of. It also throws up a surprise on the EL side of things.
For more info see Twitter thread.
https://twitter.com/TheEveningTimes/status/995344099866828801?s=20
‘Steven Gerrard doesn’t need to make massive changes at Rangers this summer’.
BILLYDUGMAY 12, 2018 at 19:47
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https://twitter.com/TheEveningTimes/status/995344099866828801?s=20‘Steven Gerrard doesn’t need to make massive changes at Rangers this summer’.
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The first steps
Was doing a bit of revision, and came across this from May 12,2012. The top right. It got me thinking just how much does the ibrox club/company pay it’s PR Firm? And could the money they spend be put to better use.
Ps. who knew the SFA had a Dossier.
ALLYJAMBO
Far fetched scenario
dck. Stevie fancy being manager of the rangers
Sg, lol no thanks
dck,I’ll put £150,000 in your bank account
sg,what do I need to do
dck,put on a blazer and pretend you are going to manage us,I’ll get season ticket money you’ll get yours
sg,when do I start
BillydugMay 12, 2018 at 17:33
‘…‘Lierse SK have been declared bankrupt; ending 112 years of their history’.’
________________
From: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/sports/1.3195921
“..It was an emotional evening in Lierse SK’s Lisp Stadium on Friday as thousands of fans held a wake for their club that went into liquidation earlier this week. Lierse should have played their last home match of the season against Waasland-Beveren at the Lisp on Friday.However, with the club now in the hands of the receivers this and next Friday’s game against Zulte Waregem have been cancelled…………”
The Belgians are a pragmatic people. They accept the fact of death.
And honest, to boot.
There will be no secret 5-way agreement to propagate a myth of ‘continuity Lierse’, between deceitful men in Belgian football governance, the Liquidators, and a ‘SevcoBelgium’and Lierse SK(IL) .
There will instead be proper recording that Lierse SK ceased to exist as a professional football club participating in a professional football league operating under the umbrella of the Belgian FA and UEFA and FIFA authority.
There will be no trying to hide the fact that the liquidated club is Lierse SK by re-naming it ‘Lierse SK 2018′, and setting up a new club to apply for membership of the Belgium FA as “THE Lierse SK Ltd’.
The liquidated Lierse SK will be confined, honourably enough, to the history books.
In the way our governance body ought to have done , and now ought to do, in relation to Rangers FC (IL), and so re-assert their authority as the body charged with operating a clean and honest sport and discharge the functions entrusted to them not just by ‘football businesses’ but by the huge numbers of football supporters who are the very life blood of the sport.
Tony,
Steven Gerrard is almost certainly vastly more wealthy than Dave King. He’d be highly unlikely in my view to do anything which could damage his reputation for what to him would be a measly £150k.
Think I’m very much with Ryan G on that one.
The words far fetched scenario gave it away I think
While the chances of Gerrard not taking up his post has crossed my mind, like all the talk of imminent administration over the years, it is all wishful thinking.
It may all work out well for both parties but T”Rangers track record with Managers has seen the last four ‘non caretaker’ appointments leave before their contracts were up.
I still can’t see were the money is coming from. Before long Gerrard will see he has been sold a pup and chances are it will, as with the others before him, end in tears. If King remains at the helm I give SG a season and a half before he finds out he has resigned.
If King departs then I think SG may stay a bit longer if realism kicks in and a long term development plan is put in place.
RyanGoslingMay 13, 2018 at 00:22
‘…He’d be highly unlikely in my view to do anything which could damage his reputation for what to him would be a measly £150k.’
_____________
I would suggest that whatever his motives ( and they are probably related to things other than mere money) I think he has already damaged his reputation as any kind of intelligent sportsman by
a) agreeing to work with a club masquerading as another club and trying to live on deceased clubs sporting merits and achievements
b) demonstrating an appalling unawareness of the true financial circumstances that the false club finds itself in.
I perfectly understand that fiercely competitive sportsmen, no longer able to compete in their sport, might think and believe that their success in the playing of their sport should be able to be replicated in other areas of the sport.
And that is by no means a given.
I think Gerrard’s decision to try his hand in football management( for reasons other than money) is fair enough, and fair dos.
But for him to think that his potential management skills will blossom in the impecunious environment of a desperatey struggling club is, I think, a grave error of judgment.
He may, of course, have been given absolute guarantees that squillions are and will be available.
Publicly, all we know is that the general impecuniosity will continue into his first season as manager.
Needless to say, I do not wish him well, because he has bought into the myth. ( and, actually,there was, is, something in his attitude on the pitch that did not appeal to me, the very occasional time that I watched him play)
JOHN CLARKMAY 13, 2018 at 01:14
I would suggest that whatever his motives ( and they are probably related to things other than mere money) I think he has already damaged his reputation.
____________________________________________________________________
I would suggest the evidence supports the exact opposite of this John. The evidence says the only place he has done damage to his reputation is on Scottish Football Social Media.
Every English pundit, ex fellow player, managers, coaches, England players, England managers et all have been extremely supportive which in no way indicates his reputation has been damaged.
Outwith the Central Scotland Social Media goldfish bowl, his stock and well wishing is extremely high.
HOMUNCULUSMAY 12, 2018 at 15:31
Managing Rangers is not seen as a huge thing outside these shores.
==========================
When you consider Derek McInnes knocked them back you wonder how the job is viewed in Scotland these days. McInnes (and others) will be close enough to the action to see how much of a basket case the club is, with a very poor quality board of directors. As for the views of English pundits, they are based on complete ignorance of the facts. The most laughable was that of Mark Lawrenson who said ‘Rangers can now go after the same players as Celtic, who will now be more likely to sign for Rangers’. Yet Rangers fans are clinging to such ridiculous statements as some kind of endorsement, while castigating any Scottish pundit who dares to say it is a gamble.
I really don’t think it is possible now for Rangers fans in general to wake up and smell the coffee. They have been taken in too many times, and their desperation allows the wrong people to con the life out of them with the soundbites they crave to hear. If anyone needs a reminder, watch this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL3a2LHEqqw
RYANGOSLING
MAY 13, 2018 at 00:22
Tony,
Steven Gerrard is almost certainly vastly more wealthy than Dave King. He’d be highly unlikely in my view to do anything which could damage his reputation for what to him would be a measly £150k.
=======================================================
I agree the notion of him being paid a fee to pretend he is going to be Rangers manager is way out there. If he leaves it will; be because things did not play out the way he was promised, not because that was always planned.
In my opinion he is having a “no lose” go at football management in a high pressure job. He does anything at all (say winning a cup, or sitting at the to of the league for a reasonable period) he looks good, he does nothing and it’s another season of fighting for 2/3/4, it was a lost cause before he started.
However with regards damaging his reputation. He doesn’t have one as a football manager, and he is hardly going to damage his reputation as a player.
I’m not sure that Gerrard is good for Scottish Football. Doesn’t say much for the standard of the game if an Under-18’s coach with zero experience can win the league!
Oh, and I’m maybe a bit late to the party on this one but there was a thread on one of the Rangers fan sites about next season’s strip which had links to tweets that Hummel had put out showing off the new strip for some random European Club. The first comment was from some clown with a Union Jack in their name telling Hummel that the Rangers strip better not be as “s****”.
LM2 @ 0430
I feel you are correct re the support Stevie Gee has and gets down here in Englandshire from all the highly paid pundits and mates.
However that is simply because they have absolutely no idea of the back story to the whole saga re RIFC. Scottish Football down here in England is just not rated and it’s generally thought to be little more than a pub league which can be won easily. He’s viewed as if he’s going up there to carry out Missionary work to improve the lives of the underprivileged natives.
I live in in a part of Merseyside famous for its Red Squirrels and have always felt that Stevie Gee,himself, was nothing more than a ‘Red’ Squirrel to soothe the Ibrox faithful. Indeed, Stevie has the loveable creatures running about his nearby ample acres.
If you should want to see some of his finest moments as a football player have a look at YouTube and search for ‘Steven Gerrard Dives’.
Training drills at Auchenhowie should be fun.
UPTHEHOOPS
MAY 12, 2018 at 12:44
Re whether Gerrard would not have joined Rangers without knowing decent funding is available. Dave King may be many things but he has demonstrated a real talent to convince people of things which turn out to be untrue. Who is to say Gerrard and his advisors are not the latest to be conned. His agent is a big Rangers fan from Glasgow so who knows how starstruck he was. I would not be at all surprised if Gerrard never manages them in competitive game.
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Let’s turn those two highlighted sentences around the other way.
What if the boot is on the other foot & it’s Gerrard & his advisors who have conned TRFC (not stating they have or would, of course).
What if it was Robertson, King & Allan who were starstruck & have bought into Gerrard’s magic beans? Their track-record in choosing managers isn’t great.
What if the Gerrard camp simply said what they thought DCK wanted, or needed, to hear (perhaps giving indications that finance would follow an appointment) & then reneged after the new manager’s rapturous ascension to the Ibrox throne on the Friday, requiring DCK to give a lacklustre poodle-presser on the Monday? Imagine if DCK had said that StevieG wasn’t joining TRFC after all?
Apologies for all the ‘what-iffery’. Just trying to present a different viewpoint.
Part of a message published today by a well known west of Scotland Celtic Supporter
he urges us to: “contribute to our shared commitment to stemming the spread of fake news and to rediscovering the dignity of journalism and the personal responsibility of journalists to communicate the truth.”The term “fake news” refers to the spreading of disinformation online or in the traditional media based on non-existent or distorted data designed to deceive and manipulate the reader by mimicking real news. Social networks can allow untrue stories to spread so quickly that even authoritative denials fail to contain the damage.Such disinformation can discredit and demonise while fomenting conflict and spreading arrogance and hatred. Preventing and identifying the way disinformation works calls for a profound and careful process of discernment. So how do we defend ourselves? The most radical antidote to the virus of falsehood is purification by the truth.”
Old buddy of yours Homunculus
The arch plagiarist seems to be under a bit of pressures if his latest exclusive is anything to go by it breaks the news that there is something worth following on SFM
JINGO JIMSIE MAY 13 10.53
Rather than “trying to present a different viewpoint”, why can’t you, along with some others, just not accept that Steven Gerrard will be the manager of Rangers starting on 01/06/18.
CLUSTER ONEMAY 12, 2018 at 20:39(EDIT)
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Attachment
Was doing a bit of revision, and came across this from May 12,2012. The top right. It got me thinking just how much does the ibrox club/company pay it’s PR Firm? And could the money they spend be put to better use.Ps. who knew the SFA had a Dossier.
=========
An absolutely crucial question the Compliance Officer should be wrestling with is did that dossier contain everything it should have if RFC complied with FFP rules during 2011?
One item that CW was strangely not charged with was the failure to meet his Takeover Undertaking of June 2011 to pay the wtc liability of £2.8m.
Why was that? It’s not as if by 2012 the SFA were unaware it hadn’t been paid. Their licensing Dept were asking in Feb 2012 for proof of appeal.
Could it be that the wtc trail led back to Sir David Murray’s stewardship of Rangers from 2000 when the first ebt with side letter was issued right up to 6th May 2011?
That article puts all of Rangers ills at the time on CW. The SFA Judicial Disciplinary Panel could only go along with that if they were unsighted on the details of the wtc liability.
More to come on that issue.
Unless I have missed something there is no offer in place to minority shareholders from DCK that is deemed compliant by the TOP.
I know that we are into uncharted territory here but does anyone have a Scooby what the TOP’s options/next move might be and how soon they might their/any move?
SLIMJIMMAY 13, 2018 at 11:06
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When i see him take charge of his first game in the ibrox dugout.I will accept that Steven Gerrard is the manager of The Rangers football club.
BFBPUZZLED
MAY 13, 2018 at 11:00
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Indeed, I have read his latest, it very much reads like “I have to put something out, even if I have nothing to say.”.
So the classic fare of 1, reprint someone else’s work, or rehash material already in the public domain 2, pick a fight with another blogger or site, or throw out some gratuitous insults 3, play the victim card, make it extravagant 4, hope that’s enough for people to send you some more money.
SLIMJIM
MAY 13, 2018 at 11:06
Rather than “trying to present a different viewpoint”, why can’t you, along with some others, just not accept that Steven Gerrard will be the manager of Rangers starting on 01/06/18.
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Frankly, I’m less interested in the ‘who?’ of the latest appointment & more interested in the ‘why?’.
AULDHEIDMAY 13, 2018 at 11:09
That article puts all of Rangers ills at the time on CW. The SFA Judicial Disciplinary Panel could only go along with that if they were unsighted on the details of the wtc liability.More to come on that issue.
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The following day.
AULDHEIDMAY 13, 2018 at 11:09
That article puts all of Rangers ills at the time on CW. The SFA Judicial Disciplinary Panel.
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Some more from the same day about the SFA Judicial Disciplinary Panel.
Cluster OneMay 13, 2018 at 11:26 (Edit)
So why didn’t the SFA talk to SDM or is his reported “outrage” genuine?
Where there’s money there’s muck.
smaller file
JINGO JIMSIE MAY 13 11.26
We offered him the job and he accepted it is the simple answer.
We (Rangers) provided him with the assurances he sought before accepting the position. All the speculation or wishful thinking since that time has no substance to it at all, unless someone/anyone can prove differently?.
AULDHEIDMAY 13, 2018 at 11:37
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Cluster OneMay 13, 2018 at 11:26 (Edit)So why didn’t the SFA talk to SDM or is his reported “outrage” genuine?Where there’s money there’s muck.
He had a gun to his head
“”MUNGOBOYMAY 13, 2018 at 10:37
I feel you are correct re the support Stevie Gee has and gets down here in Englandshire from all the highly paid pundits and mates.However that is simply because they have absolutely no idea of the back story to the whole saga re RIFC.””
Exactly M’BOY and that’s why I believe that they have shot themselves in the PR foot, again, with this one.
(BTW, I have no idea if Aberdeen or any SPFL other club has a PR contract never mind their identity and yet this mob, with a PR company who break the golden rule of “not making yourself the story”, have generated the most risible PR ever in Scottish fitba. Money badly spent.)
Back on topic. I look forward to journalist’s posing the questions to “Stevie G’s rangers” when a 6, no 7, was it 8? No £11m bid is in for an average SPL striker without sh***ing themselves for fear of career suicide. When real questions may get asked on the “traditional” songbook, whoever churns it out btw. When glib and shameless financial chicanery statements get proper follow up questions. The English “Sun” et all will sniff out a story, sensationalism is their modus operandi. DK and advisors have blown it IMO.
I’ve copied over two posts from CQN on the matter of licensing. Brogan RTH is very experienced in the principles of club licensing and the following is his perspective on events since 2000, followed by my setting a bit of context from UEFA FFP angle. Both suggest there is a lot riding on the SFA Compliance Officer investigation.
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan on 12th May 2018 8:07 pm Beatbhoy
At the risk of sounding like a broken record and a bleeding know all, you are 100% wrong about us throwing away a title while there were 11 improperly registered players playing at Easter Road which should have resulted in an auromatically declared 3-0 result.
I have been battering at this particular door for 5 years now and poor oul Auldheid has had to listen to my ravings.
LNS and all that he said was wrong but everyone focuses on the Bryson interpretation, the No Sporting Advantage arguments, and the totally incorrect premise that the EBT transactions were legal.
Of course, LNS also never considered the Wee Tax Case Tax Dodge and was nominally prevented from doing so because the dates of his remit were changed before he started.
Further, not that long ago there was all this talk of a judicial review of LNS and, with respect to those who came up with and wanted to pursue the idea, this never proceeded because it was legally incompetent and never going to succeed.
So, let’s go back to the fundamentals because this whole thing, in retrospect, is really very simple.
Bryson gave rise to the notion that a player could be registered “properly” or indeed “improperly” and we all know that his evidence was that the players registrations were valid but imperfect.
Setting aside the argument about whether an imperfect registration can ever amount to a registration, the very fact that Bryson was giving evidence at all must be questioned as he is an SFA official commenting upon an SPFL registration process.
However, the fact of the matter is that a player can only be registered with any football body by a properly and validly licensed club — and that is the big BIG issue that has never been grasped in the last 6 years.
Forget whether players were properly registered of otherwise in terms of LNS or without, the big question is “Were Rangers Football Club a properly licensed club” from the years 1999 onwards until liquidation?
As previously stated, any kind of licence can only validly be granted by the Licensor if the application is made in good faith, with no material omissions, and with no untruths. The application itself must comply with the Licensing Body’s rules.
If the application is a sham, is based on untruths, or is false in any way then it should be treated as not having been made at all.
That is an argument which was relied on by UEFA in terms of the case against FC Gianinna before the CAS in circumstances very similar to the Rangers case.
If there was no valid application, made in good faith and with full disclosures, then there can be no valid licence, and if there was no valid licence then none of the players could ever be registered let alone registered improperly.
Sitting on the new SFA CEO’s desk is a report from the Compliance Officer about the Rangers application for a UEFA licence in 2011/12.
It will disclose a letter dated May 2011 in which HMRC accuse RFC of submitting falsified PAYE returns from 1999 onwards. HMRC allege those returns to be fraudulent and deliberate. RFC took advice on this and was advised that they had no defence to the allegation.
If the compliance officer finds that the SFA or UEFA were misled at any time in the licensing process then that licence must fall.
Logically, the same must apply to the domestic licence.
So, going back to your Sunday commentary, what you should really be saying is that on that day Hibs took part in a non SFA sanctioned match because their opposition did not have a valid licence to field a team in any competition irrespective of any player registration issues.
They simply did not have a licence to play and hadn’t had one for years.
Let’s see what the compliance officer says.
————–
Auldheid on 13th May 2018 10:29 am
A post script to BRTH’s post on licensing failure.
The Giannina case uncovered 5 private agreements in their contract portfolio. There is no further information as regards detail but private means kept from public view so in that sense they are synonymous with ebts with side letters.
UEFA investigators deemed the failure of full disclosure a breach of a UEFA FFP Annex stipulating accounts provided must be a “fair presentation” (of club business as reflected in the accounts.)
“Rangers ” would argue their one or two line reference in their accounts to money paid into ebts each licensing year met that requirement and I suspect it would end up with CAS to decide as “Rangers” would be sure to appeal. CAS did not rule on Giannina’s use of private agreements but CFCB did deem them a breach worthy of rejection of the licensing application..
The sum and substance of it is RFC from 2000 to 2011 were in breach of licensing requirements by non disclosure, breach of registration requirements by non disclosure, breach of HMRC tax laws by non disclosure that gave them a wage advantage over competitors that won titles, breach of full and honest disclosure in 2011 when applying for a UEFA licence, further breach when providing monitoring information in 2011, more breach in their initial licence application (that SFA rejected) in 2012 and breach of trust in failing to disclose the 20 May 2011 HMRC letter (and it’s predecessor of 23 Feb 2011) to SPL lawyers investigating their use of ebts with side letters.
In the absence of that documentation LNS decided the registration breach was deliberate but an honest mistake, so a fine of £250k was imposed. (It was paid by deduction of prize money due).
Apart from that they did nothing wrong, or that is what we are being asked to believe.
The Compliance Officer has a huge containment job to do and there is going to have to be a helluva lot of financial forgiveness in terms of compensation for the foregoing to be admitted.
Individual forgiveness is up to the individual but without an admission by “Rangers” of wrongdoing along with those trying to keep the lid on at Hampden and in smsm , then forgiveness is impossible and the wound to our game will continue to fester.
‘We’ being Dave King, whose word is his bond.
Refresh my memory, just how long do we still have to wait for the promised NOMAD appointment and Stock Exchange listing ‘within days’?
The ‘ousting’ of the old board would result in guaranteed future transparency, promised our Dave. How’s that one going?
The only time I can tell Dave King is telling a lie is when his lips move.
Do you know that on this day in History Charles Green bought the club for £1. That was before the club went into liquidation and charles Green bought the assets of the dead club for £5.5 mill
Mibbees Gerrard has indeed signed for TRFC…he could have signed an ‘option’ to sign for TRFC permanently…as long as numerous, very specific conditions are met by King?
Those conditions cannot be met, so Gerrard says cheerio.
Gerrard keeps his non-refundable fee, and he -again- is very publicly available for any other manager positions.
King has punted the ST’s and got the cash.
…And it’s all Gerrard’s fault for having outrageous demands, but we tried, (well according to the SMSM anyway.)
If Gerrard DOES lead a TRFC team onto a pitch, I will inflict penance on myself of no popcorn for 40 days.
Congratulations to Aberdeen on holding on to 2nd place.
For anyone who didn’t watch it, Celtic threw everything at Aberdeen today but they defended really well.
Lewis played a blinder in the last 15 minutes or so.
Let the conspiracy theories begin- all bodes well for next season
Give it three years and the bully wee will be up there getting ready for an assault on the top league before world domination follows on, all it needs is £75 million for the journey and massive investment thereafter every season. I wonder if we shall face Partick Thistle as they slide into oblivion.
We all can dream and it is a well to dream daft as seems to be the case for supporters of another south of the River team with their list of players on the way to bridge the gap- Balotelli Flores Defoe Rooney with Iniesta on the bench I look forward to that.
I think it’s all very sweet that this new club in Scotland needs the validation of a “big name” to claim relevance in its what? 6th year?
But a note of caution for both Scottish football and th team in Ibrox – the 50k fans that have signed up for social media (ie spending no money to do so) based on Stevie G joining Steveco, sorry Sevco, is that they have only signed up out of curiosity; they couldn’t give a rats @ss about Scottish football or The Rangers and they will disappear like snow off a dike when he leaves – whether either under a cloud or riding cloud nine.
I hope and expect him to be in the dugout at the start of the season and I hope and expect he won’t be in the same position 18 months or two years later.
Like many others I think the lack of funds will be cited by him and his team as to why he leaves – if he doesn’t get resigned before that, due to his lack of experience. A pundit can say harsh truths – the manager of The Rangers can’t, for risk of alienating their core audience.
That said, I will be watching his press conferences with interest and comparing the questions asked of him to those asked of other managers new to Scottish football (notably Deila). I certainly expect to see no deferential treatment…
BFBPUZZLED
MAY13,2018 at 11.00
Can I ask who this West of Scotland Celtic Supporter is ?
I’m sure I heard this statement read out at vigil Mass last night .
STEVIEBC
I’d be shocked if his non refundable fee was £150,000 ?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018%E2%80%9319_UEFA_Champions_League
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018%E2%80%9319_UEFA_Europa_League
Oblivion ? That only happens to the likes of Third Lanark , Gretna , RFC(IL) and others who go out of business . We are simply realigning and awaiting the arrival of the warchest .
Big Roy greeted Bertie Auld like his bestest friend. Right now, I cant even contemplate how to transfer the picture from phone to reality.
Doncaster was two removed from Roy. On the outside, Lawell was next to Doncaster.
Three to the right was KT’s Dad. & Mom.
This doesn’t happen often. At least to me.
Before I even got there, I was in Dennistoun; East Coffee.
I’ll post later.
Best of today was Billy Connolly.
If you look closely at any picture of the Director’s box today; Neil sat alone.
Bertie sat behind the Bear.
Feed the Bear.
Apologies, it could be the craft beers!
ibrox noise say no more lol.
Indeed. It’s from January this year
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/communications/documents/papa-francesco_20180124_messaggio-comunicazioni-sociali.html
AULDHEIDMAY 13, 2018 at 11:57
Individual forgiveness is up to the individual but without an admission by “Rangers” of wrongdoing along with those trying to keep the lid on at Hampden and in smsm , then forgiveness is impossible and the wound to our game will continue to fester.
=================================
The absence of any remorse, guilt, or even one single admission of any wrongdoing from anyone at Ibrox or among their support is utterly shocking. It is as shocking as no-one in authority at the SFA or SPFL even having the guts to say what Rangers did was wrong. You are damned right the wound to our game will continue to fester. My good friend told me today of a colleague who said he can never forgive Scottish football for what they ‘did’ to Rangers. Such views are preposterous and laughable in equal measure, but the Scottish establishment and media are happy to endorse them. There is never going to be any ‘moving on’ until the sins Rangers committed are acknowledged and properly apologised for.
HomunculusMay 13, 2018 at 14:50 Congratulations to Aberdeen on holding on to 2nd place.For anyone who didn’t watch it, Celtic threw everything at Aberdeen today but they defended really well.Lewis played a blinder in the last 15 minutes or so.
————————————————————————-
Unsurprisingly I agree with every word of that.
===========HOMUNCULUSMAY 13, 2018 at 14:50
Congratulations to Aberdeen on holding on to 2nd place.
For anyone who didn’t watch it, Celtic threw everything at Aberdeen today but they defended really well.
Lewis played a blinder in the last 15 minutes or so.
==========================
I was at the game. I was not at all surprised Aberdeen won given what was at stake for them. Celtic were definitely trying to equalise and the Aberdeen goalie as you said had a good game. I believe Aberdeen will now get £300k more in prize money for finishing second.
I had a real laugh watching Neil Lennon celebrating Hibs last minute equaliser, but there is no way they should have been in that position after being 3-0 up.
Neil Lennon has caused a bit of a dilemma for the SFA, citing sectarian singing he was on the receiving end of, as mitigation for his elaborate “celebration” for the equaliser.. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but both must be adjudged equally.
One of the benefits of having Stevie G managing in Scotland may be that the national media will not be in thrall to the fat controller and may even be willing to print facts . They may also be willing to ask questions of our football governance and the way the authorities manipulate things to their own dark ends . AT could become the go-to guy , as they say on the telly ,having had previous contact with our game ,and knowledge of the way things are handled up here .
CORRUPT OFFICIALMAY 13, 2018 at 21:01
Neil Lennon has caused a bit of a dilemma for the SFA, citing sectarian singing he was on the receiving end of, as mitigation for his elaborate “celebration” for the equaliser.. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but both must be adjudged equally.
===================
They don’t actually. The SFA could not care less about sectarianism directed towards Neil Lennon. However, they do have previous for trying to ban him for more games than their own rules allowed. It required the intervention of a QC to stop it happening. What was the motivation for what the SFA tried to do to Lennon?
UPTHEHOOPS MAY 13, 2018 at 21:43
I couldn’t possibly comment on their motives UTH, but I doubt they can rescind his red card for encroaching on the field. The matter will need to be addressed.
They can possibly ignore their own ears, media pundits calling it out, and the volume button on the telly, but when cited in defence by someone (who can rightly be described as a senior figure in management), in his defence, it cannot be ignored.
Neither should it be ignored. All right thinking folk want it eradicated.
I will add I’m not holding my breath.
CORRUPT OFFICIALMAY 13, 2018 at 22:56
UPTHEHOOPS MAY 13, 2018 at 21:43I couldn’t possibly comment on their motives UTH, but I doubt they can rescind his red card for encroaching on the field. The matter will need to be addressed. They can possibly ignore their own ears, media pundits calling it out, and the volume button on the telly, but when cited in defence by someone (who can rightly be described as a senior figure in management), in his defence, it cannot be ignored. Neither should it be ignored. All right thinking folk want it eradicated. I will add I’m not holding my breath.
====================
I’m not suggesting they ignore him encroaching on the field, as long as his punishment is within the rules. However, that doesn’t alter the fact they apply the rules in an arbitrary manner and there is real history of that with Neil Lennon. Aside from once trying to give him a six match ban their own rules did not allow for, they also banned him for two games once for swearing – no other Manager in Scotland swears of course! Lennon can be hot headed, no doubt, but I imagine he also feels real grievances about the way he has been treated at times, and again I wonder as to the motivation for it all. He got four games for his infamous spat with McCoist, who on the other hand walked away grinning from Hampden with no punishment amidst full media support – it’s just the way it is in this country. I imagine instances like yesterday with Lennon’s celebrations are pretty much a massive GIRUY to the number of people in Scotland who would rather he didn’t exist.
Re Neil Lennon, it’s clear the man needs help. Any endorsement of his behaviour is exactly the wrong thing to do right now. His demeanour against Hearts during the game was worrying and his reaction to the crowd after it is only the latest in a long line of incidents that you don’t see from anyone else in management.
Add that to his after match interview, his disappearance for days, then to do what he did yesterday and there is a troubled soul in there that needs help and not laughed at or with.
Walter Smith, Alex McLeish, Martin O Neill and the late and great Tommy Burns as well as others have been subject to constant sectarian chants during games between Rangers and Celtic, being told to “Cheer Up” and called “sad orange/feni*n” bassas (Daydream Believer tune) and none of them reacted in that fashion. That doesn’t excuse any chants or singing of course.
I hope the Hibs Board do the right thing and ensure he gets the help needed.
PS. A very good friend of mine was at Celtic Park yesterday and ensured me that especially for the last 10 minutes Celtic were 100% trying to score and claiming for penalties etc so that’s good enough for me. Any talk of possible conspiracy is nonsense in my book.
Sir,
after reading the comment from steerpike, now known as the lawman, that guy, (person) should ‘imo’ never see the light of day on this site ever again.
THELAWMAN2MAY 14, 2018 at 08:25
I find your post quite distasteful to be honest. Even an experienced mental health professional wouldn’t dare make an assessment of someone’s psychological state in the way you have purely based on watching them being quite animated at sporting events on the tv every so often.
Your flippant statement that “it’s clear the man needs help” is so typical of the ignorance around mental health issues in this country.
Superscoreboard
@ClydeSSB
#Rangers have announced mystery press conference for this afternoon9:46 am · 14 May 2018
As others have identified, the quote I posted was from that well known west of Scotland Celtic Supporter Archbishop Tartaglia from his letter read yesterday. I thought that what he said was wholly apposite to matters here, albeit by coincidence.
This is not my trying to lever any theological point into a football blog, one would never wish to give offence to the great plagiarist as he prepares the next exclusive couched in the most effective language ever known, using the widest possible vocabulary,as his devotees might opine.
“A 19th yellow card in 45 appearances in all competitions this season for Graeme Shinnie – more than any another player in Scottish or English senior football”
(Sky Sports)
What is wrong with this guy? That is not a record to be proud of. Don’t know if Aberdeen are doing anything about this. To be fair McInnes said he is going to fine Logan for his carry on yesterday.
Makes you wonder if additional punishments should be handed out once a player has received x amount of yellows or x amount of reds. Say a £1,000 fine? for each further breach.
To make it fairer, a weeks wages instead of a fixed amount. £1k to Scott brown would be nothing.
BILLYDUGMAY 14, 2018 at 09:58
The word seems to be that the “mystery” press conference is to announce the signing of Scott Arfield, a very decent player but surprised it warrants a press conference in itself.
Nick, it wasn’t meant to be flippant so apologies if it came across as that. I’ve witnessed this first hand in my own immediate family so wouldn’t dare be flippant about such a subject.
There is a huge focus on this issue all over just now and I think unfortunately Lenny is in need of help.
For what it’s worth, I have been in his company on 3 or 4 occassions quite a bit in the past and it’s not the same person im seeing all be it on TV just now.
Again, humble apologies if it came across that way.
Speaking as someone, who’s sons friend took his life last week, i realise any mention of someones mental health is a very emotive one which will divide opinion. I applauded NL when he discussed his illness previously when he could have chosen to remain silent.
I do however agree with TLM2 that there have been several incidents in the past couple of months that indicate “all may not be well”. He has always been both a passionate and divisive character who has shown great courage in dealing with this in the past and hope he will do so again.
SLIMJIMMAY 14, 2018 at 10:15
Here’s hoping he won’t have to.
BILLYDUG MAY 14 10.18
Agree 100%.
THELAWMAN2MAY 14, 2018 at 10:13
Fair enough.
All I would say on Lennon is that he’s a character, he may have looked a bit daft running around like an aeroplane at full time yesterday but give me that any day over a Graeme Murty type quietly chewing his zip at the end of each game.
This is an entertainment business and the more characters (or in Neil Lennon’s case pantomime villains) the better.
I think it would be a strange one to call a presser to unveil Scott Arfield and/or Allan McGregor whilst Steven Gerrard and Gary McAllister are over in Dubai.
(DoF going to steal their thunder?)
Statement o’clock is at high noon
From ‘Quantum’ on CQN
“Was talking yesterday evening to one of the Aberdeen player ( wasn’t playing as injured ) and he was saying that Broonie had mentioned to another Aberdeen player who was playing to tell Shinnie he would “ have a word with him” tomorrow ( Monday) at the golf tournament they are both playing in about the tackle. !”
Can just imagine Shinnie coming home with a golf ball lodged up his left nostril !
NICKMAY 14, 2018 at 10:28
You can’t beat Murty’s headstand…