Today I submitted these questions to the press office at the Scottish Football Association.
Here they are in italics:
When did the Scottish Football Association (SFA) know that indemnifying side-letters were a factor in HMRC’s investigation into the use of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBT) at Rangers FC?
Did HMRC investigators contact the SFA apropos this matter in 2009?
Once the SFA were aware that rule breaking side letters were part of the tax scheme being operated by Rangers, what did the SFA do about it?
Did the SFA write to Rangers FC?
If so will the SFA publish that correspondence in the interests of transparency?
It is my intention to follow up my email after an appropriate length of time.
I attached a scanned image of my current NUJ Press Card to the email.
Consequently, they know that the questions have come from a journalist.
After that, I followed it up with a phone call to the switchboard to ascertain if the email address on the SFA website was correct and I was told that it was.
Journalism isn’t open heart surgery or designing a mission to Mars.
It is simply about asking appropriate questions and holding power to account.
This is done in the public interest.
Moreover, this really should not be beyond the collective abilities of those sitting at the sports desks in Glasgow.
If I receive a response from the SFA to these questions then I will publish them as a comment on this post.
However, if I do not elicit any comment from them I will ask them why.
My view is that if the SFA have nothing to hide on this matter then they should be open and transparent.
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Old Adage I heard somewhere in the dark and distant past ….. Never ask a question unless you already know the answer!
Just saying.
They will not reply but, if they think the fans are going to give up, they are going to get a bit of a shock – I hope!
really hope you get a reply but don’t hold your breath if this is the case what would happen next ? would you contact english media to get them to ask the same questions? HH
Phil, would your Irish NUJ branch contact the Glasgow NUJ branch and ask for assistance if the SFA don’t reply. Not a nice question for me to ask considering the performance of Scottish journalist so far.
get a club to ask these questions
OK, so the boards of clubs other than Celtic have no appetite to take on the SFA. Shame on them, as apparently most of them do nor represent their fans requirement for action.
Was it Jock Stein who said “football without fans is nothing”.
I think therefore action must come from the fans.
Can fan clubs and fan organisations of these teams not organise a mass protest in their team colours at the doors of Hampden with appropriate placards and banners to the fore.
This will be an event that local, national and also U.K. media could not ignore. The event can also be recorded by the fans groups and the DVDs sent to UEFA and the Scottish and U.K. governments (PMs & Ministers for Sport?). Such a protest must be focussed, marshalled, tasteful and lawful. No rabble rousing or that will be an own goal.
The level of discontent with the SFA’s malpractice and cover up would therefore be highlighted and be made more public to a point that it simply can not be ignored.
Peter Lawwell and Celtic has put themselves in the front line. Now the rank and file aggrieved fans of all clubs must fall in behind them to provide support and encouragement.
Rangers Cheated and was abetted by the SFA.
Lest we forget.
Journalism is not about asking appropriate questions and holding power to account.
It’s about BEING BRAVE ENOUGH to ask appropriate questions and holding power to account.
You are a brave man Phil.
There are many cowards about.
Spot on. An astute observation.
I’m guessing Phil that you are not expecting an SFA response…
and you just might have something to share – to help jog their memories ?
Mibbees aye, mibbees naw ?
Popcorn on standby anyway. 😉
Don’t hold your breath for any significant and non evasive replies Phil.
I think the only recourse left open to Celtic is UEFA and / or CAS.
Celtic supporters on the other hand can withdraw the green pound from all away grounds in the league and all league and Scottish cup away draws. This has to be organized by the fans groups and done as a matter of urgency
Peter Lawell must feel like he’s put his tin helmet on and taken one step forward…
Only to find the other ‘captains’ have taken one step backwards (or run away altogether).
Stuck out on the Battlefield surrounded by cowards who will hang around to see if there are any worthwhile spoils that they can take a share of whatever the outcome.
Would the Club itself have the drive to refuse away ticket allocations for ALL remaining SPFL matches? (If I’m correct, very few now sell direct to away fans). Would they refuse Cup ticket allocations?
Sadly.. if left to the support, no boycott will take place. Too many put their ‘football fix’ first and misguidedly think that they MUST support at all costs. Convincing those who like to travel to away games or have invested in ‘cup ticket schemes’ that they will be doing more for the ‘greater cause’ by not putting cash in pockets of the likes of Hibs, Kilmarnock and Hearts will not happen without club intervention or serious cohesive action from fan groups.
I hope as a fan of a football club that you get some answers. We need people being accountable for the jobs they do.
Regan is always bumping his gums about the 142 clubs the SFA have and only one club asking questions is that club not allowed to ask questions?
And out of those 142 clubs under the SFA why was a new club allowed to join the SFA with a secrete agreement, what made that new club any differently from another member club asking questions on clarity is that in the seceret agreement also? There is only one other club I know in the country that is ran on secrecy, it has a very high and affluent people membership, and several of them are on the SFA boards.
“secrete agreement”
Wrong, and yet it feels so right.
It’s about time someone asked pertinent questions. I hope you get truthful answers if you get any answer at all, but I doubt it. A collection of crooks used to be called a criminal gang now it is called the SFA.
Why is no-one in the SMSM not asking these questions?
Or do we already know the answer to that?
Corruption at its finest/worst.
Good luck with that, the response should one arrive which I doubt, will probably be that no response can be made whilst the compliance officer conducts his investigation for fear of compromising aforementioned. It will of course be a smoke screen. We need to crowd fund and take them to court in order to force a judicial review.
Great stuff. I am sure the SFA will not be delighted to get those questions… Which is why they are worth asking.
It’s a disgrace that the SFA simply will not agree to review of what happened over the last number of years. If they think we are going away they are very much mistaken.
I hope you get more informative answers out of the SFA than I did when I ‘interviewed’ Stewart Regan… [If I may…]
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2017/09/11/exclusive-interview-with-stewart-regan/
The answers to all your questions are , leave it be the coals have cooled down.
As a fan of an Ayrshire (East) provincial club, these questions are vital. Turnbull Hutton stated very clearly and simply that the running of Scottish Football was corrupt. It doesn’t get any clearer than that.
Great work again Phil but you should not hold your breathe waiting on any reply from them HH