Yesterday I wrote to UEFA.
I attached my Press Card from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
My union, the NUJ, is an affiliated member, and I use that photo ID when interacting with the organisation based in Nyon.
This morning I received this courteous and prompt reply from UEFA.
Here are the links referred to by UEFA in their reply.
A journalist putting in a question to the media office of an organisation is quite normal.
For the avoidance of doubt, I rarely get a reply from the organisations that run Scottish football, even with my NUJ card attached.
I share this because I am often asked in the comments section why I do not ask questions of those who govern the national game in Fair Caledonia.
That is the reason, dear reader.
Indeed, it isn’t like the chaps at Hampden do not know who I am.
As this piece of mine in the Guardian from 2010 would prove.
Fortunately, it would appear that UEFA is run far more professionally, as accredited journalists submitting relevant questions are treated with the appropriate degree of punctiliousness.
The reason for my interrogatory email was a developing interest in UEFA’s new Financial Sustainability Regulations (FSR) and their impact on Planet Fitba’s brogue trader at Ibrox.
As I had previously reported, there had been a dignified conclave in the Sevco High Command about mild-mannered Ryan Kent and pobrecito Alfredo.
The decision was that if either player would not sign a new contract, then they should, if possible, be sold in the January window.
Consequently, regular readers will not be surprised at this type of coverage.
This …ahem…journalism screams one message.
Reduced to clear!
This week BDO issued a report on the original Rangers.
It reminded me of the importance of outsiders in the Ibrox saga.
HMRC was not part of Planet Fitba.
They just wanted the taxes due to them from Rangers.
Of course, the HM part of HMRC makes for a delicious irony for the deferential monarchists in the Govan stand.
UEFA are also outsiders.
FSR is all about a level playing field for all clubs in Europe.
Now, I have reason to suspect that these new regulations were being drawn up with a focus mainly on the state-owned clubs in the EPL that had been acquired for sports washing purposes.
However, the people who wrote these regulations know at a granular level what the original Rangers were guilty of in 2011 for the Wee Tax Case and throughout the EBT decade.
Quite simply, sustainability is kryptonite at Ibrox.
Ignore the gushing pish from the Stenography Corps and calmly examine the public data.
Look at the transfer activity at Sevco.
Who leaves, for how much, and if any permanent replacements arrive to augment the squad.
I believe they will try and dazzle the media on Transfer Headline Day with another Ramsey-type capture.
At the time, the Stenography Corps gushed that the perennially injured superstar was brought in to make a difference in Europe.
Well, he certainly did that!
I think that I might have this Caravaggio of quintessentially British pain framed for the study.
Just a thought…
Despite an unparalleled year for revenue, the ten-year-old club still posted a loss in the year-end accounts.
Then they got to the Champions League Group Stages, where they broke another record, but no new players came in even after Mr Giovanni had navigated past PSV.
It is almost as if there is now an elephant in the corner of the Blue Room called “sustainability”.
To lose sight of the importance of FSR will rob any analysis of vital context.
If UEFA forces Sevco to run a sustainable outfit in the future, then they can only be the best of the rest in the SPFL, as their city neighbours can sustain a much larger football budget.
Starting to see it now?
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Not quite in the same league as you Phil…But..
When the current “Hampden Stadium” was opened…I wrote to the SFA to ask why the seating colours were Red/White and Blue.
Surely these had no bearing on the colours of Scotland. Etc
I still await a reply.
.
Maybe we’ve been too harsh on the non-communicating SFA?
Apparently, the wifi reception in the depths of the Hampden bunker is really poor,
…and their fax machine ran out of paper a good while ago.
The blazered buffoons don’t like being disturbed by outsiders, I mean customers,
as they don’t like having their sleep interrupted.
Scottish football supporters could be a bit more understanding? 🙂
Meanwhile, let’s just cheer on that wee country Croatia, [population of just 4M],
as they march onwards in the WC – to their second WC semi-final in a row!
I worked at the rebuilding of the main south stand and the rest of the stadium at the two phases with the construction company sir Robert mcalpine and in the south stand when near completion they actually painted all the walls of the toilet blocks a bright orange before eventually changing the colour to royal blue , kid you not.
They may yet change the seating colours to suit their preferred customer base, as the majority of the Ibrox hordes would much rather wear orange than their club colours.
Phil. Rangers Tax Case today tweeting about final Rangers tax bill. Rightly points out the shame of the SNP First Minister trying to stop HMRC liquidating them. Thank God that power was not devolved. Can you do an article on the current scandal of the pay outs for malicious prosecutions? No SNP Minister has been brought to account for this.
I reported on the Salmond intervention at the time in 2012.
This site is fully searchable.
The incident is also fully covered in my book Downfall.
I notice it was reported on BBC Scotland website that Rangers were interested in signing Ryan Porteous. Source – Jim Duffy mentioned on Radio Clyde he had heard a rumour about this.
This is not journalism it is just gossip and everyone who follows football in Scotland deserves so much better. It was reported today that this was nonsense.
I am not a Celtic or Rangers fan and don’t agree with some of Phil’s comments about other clubs in Scotland not mention the somewhat one eyed comments from Celtic fans some of which appear laughable when you support a ‘diddy’ team like me.
However despite all this if I want some realistic information about Rangers I still think this is the best source of information.
Thanks for this service Phil but I should not have to come onto what is essentially a Celtic fans website to access this information. Scottish sports journalists with a few exceptions is pathetic – mind you you could say this for Scottish’ MSM in general! (‘Scottish’ to question ownership and editorial influence.)
Jp58….your incorrect if you believe the MSM will be honest in regards to THE RANGERS……proof being their insistence that the mordor club have actually won the 55th title…..
If you tell the same lie often enough it becomes sevco.
After all
The MSM reported that Ashley was no l9nger in the ibrox frame….lie
They reported that celtic fans had interfered with morelos car…lie
They reported that mordor made profit…lie
I could keep going…but the biggest lie is their backtracking on their own liquidation stories regarding the orc team…..
Perhaps you should not join a site like this that trys to out the truth…and instead stick to the MSM and your “diddy”team….whoever they are
“They reported that mordor made profit…lie”
Not quite, they report that they made a £5.9m operating profit, which is correct.
What they omit to mention is that they made a near £1m loss overall.
Lie by omission? Economical with the truth? Misinformation?
It’s clearly, deliberately misleading to feed the feelgood pish, which, ultimately, as always, will do them no good whatsover.
Exactly my point….they wouldn’t know the truth if it kicked yhem in the neanderthals
James – I suggest you actually read what I said in my post. What I was trying to say is that it was ridiculous that as a supporter of neither Rangers or Celtic that the most accurate news I appear to be able to source on Rangers is on this site, which is primarily for Celtic supporters. The reason I need to access this site is because MSM reporting of Rangers is so woeful and aimed at Rangers fans rather than reporting facts. I thought this was obvious from my post.
However you appear to have not taken the time to read my piece, only read the criticism I have of some Celtic fans in relation to other clubs outside Glasgow and jumped completely to the wrong conclusion. In so doing you appear to be exhibiting the paranoia that many other supporters sometimes accuse Celtic fans of possessing?
Fair point JP58. I thought your initial comments were crystal clear and couldn’t understand the negative criticism.
Many thanks.
Phil – if you’re running a sweepstake on this year’s Sevco Transfer Headline Day, put my name down for Kylian Mbappe, please!! 😆
There’s that “starting to see it now?” thing again! I respect your journalism over many years Phil but you are not the only one to have seen for years how that mob operate. We’re not thick – don’t patronise please.
Brogue trader….:-) Hopefully the ending is the same…..”Nick completely loses control and gambles without restraint with other people’s money leading inevitably to a complete financial meltdown” (IMDB)
The way I read the BDO report, Hector is owed £56m. Is that correct? Does anyone at Ibrox have that kind of money?
Rangers died! No person is liable, it is the company that went bust. This is what Limited Liability means.
Incorrect….Rangers got liquidated, but should they wish to reclaim their name and history, they must pay the outstanding, active debts
How can the history and titles of another club be ‘claimed’? Their story/history ended in 2012 (other than the mopping up). This money payable has nothing to do with the current entity called rangers playing at ibrox any more than it has to do with any other football club. No more than say, Celtic, could pay the original Rangers’ debts and claim their history and titles.
That’s how I understand it anyway…
Or, NASA going bust, but bought over by the European Space Agency, then ESA claiming that it was then that put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon on the 20th July, 1969. 😉
The bastardised offspring is using the history and titles of the ex-club.
Disappointingly, not only the expected fawning MSM, but also UEFA use this fiction, ‘celebrating’ their 150th anniversary, 56th title etc.
The name they have already reclaimed as there was no objection from the original club (or administrators/liquidators as the case may be), with only a ‘The’ and the certificate of incorporation dated 2012 woth new registered company number to differentiate.
I wonder if they ever become a PLC, the same legal status as the original club (stop laughing, theoretically) this would have to be revised? Probably see more ‘holding company’ and ‘football club subsidiary’ patter to cover those tracks
Kent is mild mannered ? Is that the same Kent Phil ,who chinned Scott Brown right in the kisser almost on the centre spot at Parkhead ,a few years ago ? As per usual the whole multiverse saw it as it happened ,except the referee ….
You’ve rather missed the point.
It’s a rather witty sarcastic play on Superman’s alter ego, as in; Mild mannered Clark Kent.
Quite so.
Enter pistol Pete to save the day.
The report today that BDO successfully secured 14p in the pound for the creditors, which I am one as a success is deplorable and a showing of how much the tramps have very short memories and love of the new company who ever that is
I’m surprised there’s £8m left in the kitty for HMRC plus more for all the other creditors.
I would’ve expected BDO to have stripped the bones of the dead corpse these past 10 years.