I allowed myself a wry smile today when I read this BBC report today:
“Birmingham City will be deducted nine points by the English Football League for breaching profitability and sustainability rules.”
Of course, that could not happen in Planet Fitba.
The world-class administrators on the 6th floor of Hampden don’t seem to rate that Financial Fair Play (FFP) palaver.
However, if it was extant in Fair Caledonia then on the basis of recently published accounts there is probably only one club that would have a problem with compliance.
I am sure dear reader that you can guess which one it is.
Now, it would be unfair to suggest that the chaps at Hampden are holding back FFP in Scotland to suit one brand.
However, in the summer of 2012, Mr Neil Doncaster stated that “there is no mechanism for what we are trying to achieve”.
Of course, he was referring to the attempt by himself and Mr Stewart Regan, then of the SFA, to drop Sevco Scotland into the top flight.
Thankfully that was opposed by the Scottish Spring and the basket of assets started at the bottom.
Even then it was a crime against older and better run clubs.
Go tell the Spartans!
Since February 2014 Sevco have been limping along due to infusions of external finance.
It would be interesting to see what the SFA have sent off to Nyon apropos the Ibrox club’s licence to play in Europe.
I’m sure that the financial information is not based upon the recently published unaudited interims.
You may recall that they boasted some very encouraging figures.
Unsurprisingly there was close to zero journalistic scrutiny on the numbers.
However, rather rapidly after this these triumphant interim,s those chaps at Close Brothers published details of the security on yet another loan for Sevco.
Regular readers will be apprised of those developments.
Indeed, given that which is in the public domain, I would not be surprised if the SFA send the Sevco application to UEFA with a cautionary memo attached.
Now, I am not saying that such a thing has happened or will happen next week.
However, if it did I would not have to alter my worldview.
Meanwhile, the Sevco High Command can rest easy on the domestic front.
The governance chaps do not seem to mind that one of the home fires is burning through other people’s money…
Perhaps the Birmingham City folk will be looking rather enviously north of the border at another club that plays in blue.
The difference is, of course, one of oversight rather than geography.
FFP in domestic competitions is in the same bracket as VAR.
It is available, it should be introduced and the excuses for not bringing it in do not ring true for many within Scottish football.
Have a great weekend.
Football Blogging Awards 2019.
The voting closes tomorrow.
I am shamelessly soliciting your votes in the Best International category and for Best Established category.
You can vote here.
Míle Buíochas
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croppy bhoy.
morelos should have received 3 red cards.
the referee was given the opportunity to review the incidents and after much consideration did nothing.
The bad news is…these two Clubs (R I L and Sevco)….have been protected by the ” Establishment ” since their inception…..and there’s nothing likely to change soon…sad to say.
No one expects the SFA to do anything….but when UEFA appear to be turning a blind eye as well…it makes you wonder brother.
I can’t wait to see the outcome of their “European Licence ” application…if they require one.
Now the good news…
Votes cast for you Phil as requested.
Good luck.
I doubt if the unaudited fag packet income statement recently published will cut the mustard with UEFA.
Even the ‘profit’ number is purely down to the money from the Europa Cup campaign, though even that couldn’t prevent a return visit to Close Bros, the new lender of last resort.
Can you imagine FFP NOT being introduced in Scotland at warp speed if roles were reversed and sevco were in fine health on and off the field while Celtic hobbled on supported by loans and pawn shop coupons?
While I’d really like to see FFP rules introduced … and more importantly , enforced…
By NOT introducing them, the SFA are actually doing us a favour.
Instead of keeping clubs like their beloved pet entity in a fit financial state for the future…
… they are allowing them to dig an ever increasing debt hole that will ultimately be too deep to climb out of.
When it happens… the ‘loyal’ supporters will be the first ones asking why it was allowed.
Phil; it may be unfair to suggest that FFP is not used by SFA “to suit one brand”, but it most certainly wouldn’t be a wrong supposition to make.
Voted both, good luck!
Marquee signing alert …..Stewart Downing to Rangers.
He cerainly ticks the boxes.
Age: 35 in July
Fee: zero, free agent in the summer.
McGregor, McCauley, Defoe, Davis, Downing…if there’s an over 35 league kicking off next season it’ssa stick on double, Celtic for the SPFL and Rangers ×35’s for the over age league title.
Walking Football, anyone? HH
I believe that there is a 6 year old professional football club operating in Scotland that has racked up operating losses of £40m plus in that period,
Thanks to donations from the board, concert party individuals, and Close Brothers, they continue to trade.
To prevent 9 IAR Morelos and Tavernier will be sold in the summer to give Stevie G the warchest he craves to bring in the marquee signings in the hope of knocking The Champions off their perch.
Time for someone to have a word in Gerrard’s ear for him to stop spouting on about quality signings as most of the money raised by sales will be required to cover running costs and the Close Brothers repayment.
Oh and perhaps Big Mike will grab a slice as well.
var will not make any difference in scottish football. the people reviewing the incidents will all be rangers supporters.
it will be a pointless exercise.
Have to disagree Westcraigs.
If VAR clearly shows a handball on the line which should result in a penalty and a red card in a Scottish Cup semi-final there will be no excuse to ignore it.
Even biased officials won’t be able to ignore things they get to see several times over.
They will no longer be able to hide behind the lie that they didn’t get a good view of the incident.
I say it again… Celtic will benefit more than any other team in Scotland from the introduction of VAR.
morelos should have received 3 red cards. the referee was given the opportunity to review and reconsider his decisions. he choose not to change anything.
you don’t make sense.
Not fair to say I don’t make sense.
Yes, there will be aberrations like the Morelos instances you mention.
I understand your point of view but please don’t insult me when I’m just trying to have a conversation.
We will still benefit enormously from VAR. The trouble is that it will never be introduced because of that very fact.
Cheers and Hail Hail!
As I stated, if all things were equal I’d agree with you, but all things are not equal. The Morales instances are NOT aberrations. They are the NORM when it comes to the treatment of Sevco players faced with retrospective punishment. I have no belief that this will change in a live situation.
Right now we have a kind of retrospective VAR where officials have a chance to review contentious decisions as many times as they want, at any speed they want, without the pressure or heat of a live situation. Only one team appears to be gaining ANYTHING from the present set up and it most certainly is NOT Celtic!!! I see where you’re coming from and all things being equal I’d agree with you. But that is simply NOT the case.
We all know the suits on floor 6 will never implement FFP rules in Scotland, we also know they have a vested interest in rankers playing in Europe. Sad to say that the rest of Scottish clubs come nowhere near getting past very early stages of European football and cash generated will always come first.
Aberdeen, St Johnstone, Hibs and Hearts have all failed woefully in recent years and our own record is rotten with BR actually making us worse in Europe.
Look at the game with Kazakhstan, fuck me but that was shameful, Eck needs to go, that was on his head, he’s using this stint to fend off a massive tax bill from EBT years.
We can all contribute by doing what Blackpool fans did by boycotting international football but again sad to say that there are those who call themselves the tartan army who are used to abject fucking misery and will never put the kilts away.
Until we boycott, until Uefa audit properly, until SM start being journalists, until beaks and blazers grow a pair we will suffer as always at club and international level.
2 votes in Phil good luck