Below is a press release from the Scottish Football Association.
A Judicial Panel convened to consider a Notice of Complaint raised against Rangers FC in 2018 – in relation to alleged new evidence regarding representations received prior to the awarding of a European licence for season 2011/12 – determined at a preliminary hearing that it did not have jurisdiction to determine the matter.
Instead, it concluded that jurisdiction lay with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Following consideration of the implications of such a referral, including legal opinion, it was the board’s unanimous position that this matter should not be referred to CAS.
The Scottish FA now considers the matter to be closed.
I can think of several chaps in the Blue Room who will definitely be breathing a little easier follow following this decision.
Discover more from Phil Mac Giolla Bháin
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Lets be clear here. This is not about a £5/10k fine for the old club being a bit naughty.
That club is being liquidated, end of.
It’s about identifying those reponsible at Ibrox or Hampden, past or present, who facilitated the fraud and in a court of law being held to account for their actions.
Would it not be a criminal act, on top of the original criminal act, that any of those responsible are still involved in Scottish football, or any football for that matter?
Maxwell has inherited this from those who have gone before him. He therefore has clean hands on the matter but is now muddying the waters with the notion that costs will exceed the paltry fines available to the SFA.
He’s not fooling anyone going off on a tangent about finance, those responsible have to be brought to account.
If a bomb explodes under the SFA exposing serious wrongdoing then so be it.
The blue side fan base certainly view events in a way that no one else does.
Yesterday’s release of half a dozen players is viewed as a strengthening of the squad by many.
How they reach that conclusion is known only to them.
Perhaps the thinking is that space will be freed up in the squad for quality enhancements.
Given the financial issues circling Ibrox the only way that any quality additions will come in will be via the sale of their current best players.
Now if you punt a player for say £10m and replace him with a £5m one then, given the adage that money talks, you are weakening the squad and gambling on the new guy progressing as a player.
It’s also worth noting that the top players who may be punted were not up to the task of knocking Celtic off their top spot so replacing them with cheaper options does not appear to be a realistic strategy.
Based on the timing, it smells of another “5 way agreement” type situation.
What really annoys me about this is that because it’s something thats impacted on football many people seem to ignore, or are unaware, the fact that a crime has been perpetrated, and a potential multi million pounds one at that.
With the evidence staring them in the face Police Scotland fraud squad should have been all over this years ago.
No one needs to make an official complaint.
If this fraud had occurred in any other business type in Scotland the perpetrators would have been charged and banged up long ago.
The SFA has given the green light to Rangers, and any other team in the league?, to submit fraudulent declarations in future without any comeback from the authorities.
Where’s the corporate governance in that?
The individuals responsible should have been shitting themselves all this time awaiting a chap on the door from the police but the football authorities have chosen to sweep it under the carpet as if it was some minor infraction of the rules……. ‘Imperfect’ but legal maybe?
Disgusting.
Lol the thing is we laugh at sevco fans for being dafties and here we have our own behaving just as bad by accepting this decision . Only my opinion but Lawell and Celtic have played their part in this as well and if we as fans are denial of that we ain’t any better than Klan when it comes to what our sell to us . Gullibles we say about the crowd from , there are none that are so blind as to those who cannot see, that’s us now .
Celtic fans took for mugs again . But hey this is chance to hit the board back don’t buy a season ticket and that includes them on the waiting list as well . Don’t take a ticket for the Scottish cup or the League cup , don’t go anywhere near Hampden again because the big fix is on and if we go against any of the above we are part of it . Don’t give me the team needing the backing , really and did the Res12 guys from our club and look what , we are fighting a losing battle. The outcome of all of this was decided before Rrs12 guys got involved. The 5 Way Agreement is the equivalent of that little black book that gets pulled out on politicians when they don’t fall into line , hence why Celtic and Lawell are on a sponsored silence. Hit them where it matters in the pocket if not don’t bother complaining again when it all goes belly up because remember your feeding the big fix and buying into it , and to me that’s worse than the people doing the stitch up .
All brothers together.
Phil….what are the full implications of this decision.
I understand theres a financial loss for celtic and other clubs..shareholders…but what does it mean for the people in the blue room…then and now….who participated in this fraudulently obtained licence……and what does it mean to the then and current SFA offivials who assisted the fraudulent application.
Im in the dark as to what would have happened to these people if the res 12 issue had been taken..and the claim won….
Thanks for any response Phil
HH
Come on Celtic fans, if the rest of the league gives the Old Firm a packet of asterisks to sprinkle on football history as you wish, will you both move on? Scottish football desperately needs its two big clubs to look forward and lead it through a genuine crisis. As by far the richest club, Celtic should be taking the lead to make sure we have the best Scottish league possible over the next few years.
Keep shining the light Phil, you speak for more than just Celtic fans
Morning mate, very happy to move on, as soon as those perpetrators of the licence fraud are removed from Scottish football and face the consequences of their fraudulent actions in a Scottish court of law.
This news has sickened me and taken the shine off the 9 in a row. I would be more than happy to contribute to any crowd funding to take further action.
Me too mate. Makes you want to vomit. I’m thinking of chucking it and following something less fixed, with a wee bit more “sporting integrity”. Like wrestling or something . . . .
That’s what I think the folk who drew Resolution12 up should have done to start with. Crowd fund a QC to compile a dossier of information, most of which is already in the public domain, and bring it to the Procurator Fiscal. If there’s evidence presented to them of a crime, they either have to act or give good reasons why they won’t.
I don’t think there’s a statute of limitations on fraud.
Seems reasonably clear that Celtic may have an involvement and want the issue to go away. Can’t believe the crass stupidity of the PR guys at Hampden or beyond issuing that statement today after we earned 9 in a row? Hail Hail!
Credit to the SFA if they said ‘sorry, we don’t investigate questions relating to the affairs of defunct clubs’.
Who can refer a case to the CAS ?
Any individual or legal entity with capacity to act may have recourse to the services of the CAS. These include athletes, clubs, sports federations, organisers of sports events, sponsors or television companies.
Oh well,Big Peter will be happy.
12 days to go to contract expiry day.
Six players getting the push by SEVCO and named in the daily rag today.
Is this how players are being informed of their sacking? via the daily rag? Shocking! Owed two months wages too?
Clearly SEVCO could never have played out the season anyway into June and July.
Gerrard lost six trophies out of six. Celtic won five out of six so far. When is rookie management failure Slippy for the off?
Dave King: “it’s all about winning trophies here, Steven’s a winner” 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
King won nothing in five years at Sevco as Chairman. He left crying.
But can six times out of six failure And defeated Slippy G sell a season ticket?
It’s two years since King used him to flog tickets.
When are the Gullible going to wake up to the fact it’s a grand con on their emotions and they’re never going to win squat. It’s about providing salaries and income for SPIVS.
Save your money this year in protest at nothing in 9 years and get down to Spain on holiday in July after the lockdown.
There’s no fools like nine seasons in a row fools.
Oh well, Big Peter will be happy.
Only now does it become apparent why the SFA have been so quiet during the past few weeks debacle in Scoddish Fitba’.
They’ve goat some nerve the Brotherhood of Bam.
On a day that should be one of the happiest of my life I’m left bitterly disappointed and sickened by Celtic’s inaction over the Resolution 12 fiasco which allowed the SFA to pull this flanker today. I’ve sat in the same seat in the North Stand since it opened – Christ as far as I can estimate I’ve stood there in the Jungle before there was a North Stand! – but this news today has finished me I think. Having listened to the absolute audacity of these cretins- Jeez! – to talk of “tainted titles” over the last couple of months after the grand theft they were involved in, I expected some response from Lawwell in defence. However, as I suspected, it looks like Celtic were complicit in this massive international sporting scandal all along. And it wouldn’t surprise me to learn big Peter’s up to his oxters in this 5 way agreement as well. Just wait and see. If this latest rotten mob go bust as per the last mob, i reckon they’ll be miraculously resurrected as per the the last mob, with their history again miraculously transferred and they’ll still be going for 55. How many times does a poisonous entity have to die before they chuck it? Bet Christopher Lee wished had thought of registering with the SFA.
Good point about Alistair Johnston and his inability to meet SFA fit and proper status.
It’s widely believed that he was the Rangers signatory on the 2011/12 fraudulent UEFA licence application with some porkies told on overdue tax status, of which any doubt was cleared up by evidence led at Craig Whyte’s trial.
No surprise on this news, Maxwell wasn’t hired to rock the boat.
Feck the SFA, this is a matter for Police Scotland fraud squad.
A multi million pound fraud has been perpetrated in broad daylight yet no one has been held to account. Those responsible must be pissing themselves laughing and wondering how the hell they got away with it.
No one individual could have done this without help from others.
The evidence couldn’t be clearer but it appears that the injured parties, Celtic FC who potentially lost millions and the SFA, who were lied to in a licence application by a member club, have both washed their hands of it.
If not Celtic why hasn’t Dermot Desmond, as the largest shareholder, made a complaint to Police Scotland?
I guess this means that the Rangers UEFA licence for next season has been forensically examined by the SFA high heid yins and waived through despite the back of a fag packet unaudited financial numbers looking remarkably like last year’s and showing another healthy profit for the first six months, with the annual audited accounts reverting to the usual red colour!
I tend to agree – old habits die hard – and Maxwell looks like a yes-man from central casting – but it’s a risky move for the SFA now with FFP, much more educated scrutiny and much less room for whataboutery over DOS/EBTs and HMRC debts due.
I say do it – if you dare SFA – you’ll get sweet fuck all thanks or loyalty from The Rangers in the long run – when the fraud squad or HMRC call with a warrant.
I have a feeling that exact same thing is happening right now for 20/21 European season hence they are trying putting this to bed as if referring it to CAS would be opening up can of worms for these accounts and liabilities
This should be taken forward absolutely no way should that mob get away with this it’s worse than the Bullion Robbery in money terms from their escapades. Dossier Shenanigans total smoke screen and I really hope Celtic,s P Lawell didn’t have a hand in this 5 way plot and yes I totally agree with the last comment about these fudged Fag Packet Accounts being allowed to be passed with no Scrutiny and if Covid 19 doesn’t finish Football as we know it then Corruption and Greed will remember Karma is not far away.
The timing is clumsy – with nothing much else to talk about over coming weeks – but is anyone the least bit surprised – really – surprised at all – because the Celtic Board don’t want this, the SFA don’t want this, the SPFL don’t want this and none of the accused individuals want this. And an educated guess would suggest that CAS and UEFA don’t want this either. As a precedent it is a cluster bomb up their collective jacksies concerning governance competence and regulatory rigor.
But regardless of who wants what, my money is on AuldHeid and the R12 Requisitioners to keep on keeping on until this matter is judged by an authority on the basis of justice (sporting and natural) rather than self interest.and corrupt expediency.
If crowd funding is required – count me in !
This issue will NEVER go away so crowdfunding is the best way way forward.
I am sure most Celtic supporters will be keen to pursue this but many fans of other clubs, like myself, will also be happy to step up to the mark.
I do not think it is inconceivable for approximately 50,000 fans of the game to pony up £30 each and £1.5m would be a tidy sum to get the ball rolling so count me in as well.
Tell me how. I’m you’re man!
I’d also contribute to a crowd funder, one of many thousands I’m sure.
Agree with all of the above. I hope they keep going. It’s no coincidence the day after Celtic are crowned champions,something stinks.
And that boys and girls is the trade off.
The timing is as subtle as a brick through a window and is a reminder to the pesky Tims, who may well have domestic football as their own realm, but the real power in Scotland is still exerted on a Thursday night in Temples as brothers stride across black and white chequered floors.
If this was pursued further and properly it would have lead from CAS to civil courtrooms and charges of fraud amongst others. The SFA would be in the dock.
A wee reminder that, no matter what we think or how high we rise, they (Masonic establishment) still instruct most of the bus drivers and they still try to make us sit at the back of it. From time to time they succeed.
They have managed to fudge the biggest scandal in the history of British sport. Ask your average man/woman across the border and they know nothing of the corruption and criminality. That is the establishment’s victory in this scandal.
Imagine Celtic had committed any one of the litany of offences that Dead Cheats FC had committed. What do you think would have happened?
The only thing we can do is to keep winning. If we have to fight the battle in the lower classes in public on a football pitch to give them a bloody nose then so be it.
Like yo say I’m shocked but I’m not. Why wouldn’t you just hand any evidence over?. Nothing to lose after all. Something reeks that’s for sure
How can the SFA deal with this when it was the SFA that either knowingly or incompetently issued the Euro license to RFC?
The issue needs to be tabled with a competent body.
Celtic need to take it to CAS. Clubs go to CAS all the time.
Clubs take UEFA to CAS.
There’s no lines painted on the Ibrox pitch.
The top man in Scottish football, Mr Peter Lawwell, just made a problem go away for the SFA whilst letting SEVCO think they leveraged a result.
It would have led to Sevco clearly Declared not the old RFC at CAS.
PL sits on the SFA Board.
PL needs them to think they’re RFC for milking them and regularly beating them and skinning the owners of their wealth.
PL, Desmond and Celtic won’t do anything. They created SEVCO as RFC. It’s a Celtic construct.
Same way as Ann Budge was tasked to look into league reconstruction. Her team and her governance of her appointments have been appalling.
Feels awfully like setting the groundwork for avoidance of liability when it turns out that the audited accounts submitted from the team who currently play at Ibrox for this year are nowhere near robust enough to grant a UEFA licence out the chaps at Hamden decide to go ahead and do so anyway.
Phil, is it not the time when all supporters of Celtic FC, one of the biggest clubs on these islands, called them all out on this, even our own Board? Between 2001 and 2012 RFC won 5 SPL titles, 4 Scottish Cups and 6 League Cups as well as a place in Europe in every one of those seasons. RFC gained all of that by playing inelligible players in every single match throughout that time. Their dishonesty is absolute. Welching on business deals is also part of their portfolio, just ask Sports Direct and Hummel. They have stolen money and prestige from every other club in the SPL, as well as the clubs they faced in those European competitions.
Their deceit almost brought down the whole game in Scotland by forcing many teams to “honestly” spend money they could ill-afford – some are damaged still. All of this apparently aided-and-abetted by the ‘blind eyes’ of the SPL and the SFA and yet, RFC continue to play the victim. Theirs is the culture of the paltry mind; they care not for Scottish football and appear happy to continue to damage or destroy it when they cannot get their way.
Juventus and Manchester City cheated/bent-the-rules and UEFA came down on them like a ton of bricks – how does RFC continue to get away with all of this and for so long?
Or, am I misunderstanding much of this?
Now we know why sevco have stayed silent and not apposed 9 in a row. That’s the quid pro quo that they were looking for.
Why it actually has nothing to do with Sevco?
Rangers died.
The real problem actually lies in Hampden not Ayebroke’s where a Tribute Act currently fail in all aspects of their operation.
Spot on. It’s got feck all to do with the tribute act.
Their fans though, that’s a different matter.
This full thing stinks,
The full fight with the spfl up to now has been the lead up to this.
It’s taken almost 2 years for this investigation to conclude yet somehow 1 week after the spfl investigation is shutdown and 1 day after celtic are crowned champions the sfa come out and say the investigation is finished.
So celtic fans sit laughing at the rangers situation about internal investigations being voted down now its much harder for any further investigation into this to be voted through.
This full situation has been a set up and rangers accepting celtic as champions has proven this, as all their previous fighting has just been hot air, smoke and mirrors.
I for 1 hope celtic take this to CAS themselves.
What implications? Maybe Douglas Park should have had his independent investigation into the running of Scottish Football after all.
That’s it? After some undocumented consideration and “legal opinion” the matter is closed ? I think you need to offer more than that SFA or your acronym has never been more apposite.
Some clubs might feel such an answer would require a statement in response or wailing about governance.
I don’t think the requisitioners and their supporters will be accepting that pile of poo thank you very much. A real smoking gun dossier of evidence has been assembled on this matter. The SFA response needs to address that evidence.
Justso.
So this was the trade off to shut the morons up over the SPFL and finishing the league? Smoothing the way for Celtic’s nine in a row.
Seems to be SEVCO got off with bent practices for nothing. Simply shutting up and not noising off over nothing. Bad precedent to make.
They’ll think it’s the way ahead for them.
What does Auldheid and the Res12 Requisitioners think?
Mr Ally McCoist really does have an asterisk over his head. It follows him everywhere. The former sacked SEVCO manager, and Charles Green’s first employee and right hand man, really is a wee sneak.
Sneaky Ally, milking the Gullibillies for decades.
I thought the complaint was against the SFA accepting the application when its officers knew Rangers were noncompliant. This wasn’t about punishing a club that rode itself into the grave trying to match us.
Correct
Surprise surprise. The day after the league was announced!
Tom English will be FUMING. Won’t he?
I expect the BBC will be pulling some senior SFA official onto their Saturday program to grill them about this and have full and frank criticism of the answers afterwards. Maybe Tom will throw around some innuendo to cast the answers in a bad light.
Or maybe not.
Methinks NOT!!
The SFA say that the matter is now closed…
It will only be closed when the asterisks appear in the record books to indicate industrial-scale cheating during the EBT years. It will only be closed when the “we bought the history of oldco” is negated. It will only be closed when Alastair Johnston is officially pronounced “persona non grata”.
Pondlife FC should never, ever be allowed to get away with this.
An asterisk doesn’t do it for me. Rangers knowingly, deliberately and systematically cheated over a dozen seasons and in over 400 league games. when you cheat in sports you are disqualified. It really is that simple. Theses titles must be stripped.
Exactly! Every game where you play an unregistered player results in the award of a a 3/0 defeat against you. That’s the rules! They went through over a decade where you’d be hard pushed to find a single properly registered (improperly registered = no registered!) player on their books. Where’s the problem interpreting this? Is it me that’s daft?
Look on the bright side…
During this pandemic, when all hands are on the pumps in hospitals the length and breadth of the country, it’s good to know that the SFA are doing their own little bit to ensure that medical teams are not being removed from the frontline in order to staff the Spinal Injuries Unit at each hospital.
The SFA, to a man, are INVERTEBRATES!!