UEFA and Sevco

A crucial part of journalism is asking questions.

Ultimately, it is how the Fourth Estate holds power to account.

I was sent this from the Daily Radar today by several folks.

Consequently, I sent an email to UEFA media at 10.49 this morning.

 

Hello

I am a journalist (IFJ Press Card attached).

Today in the Scottish media, Mr James Taylor, Rangers’ Chief Financial Officer, stated that the Ibrox club was no longer on an FFP watch list as UEFA had “changed the rules”.

Here are my questions:

(1) Are Rangers no longer on a UEFA FFP watch list?

(2) Has UEFA changed their criteria for placing a club on a watch list? 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Regards 

Phil Mac Giolla Bháin

 

It took the folks in Nyon only until 15.36

 

Dear Phil,

Kindly note there is no such official FFP watch list of clubs.

Furthermore, if you refer to this article (issued at the end of the season 2021/22) in which some 19 clubs were highlighted for having complied with the regulations thanks to some extraordinary COVID adjustments (last two paragraphs of the publication), please note that all those 19 clubs were closely monitored during the 2022/23 season. Finally, 3 clubs were sanctioned by CFCB (FC Barcelona, Trabzonspor and Royal Antwerp Football Club). Therefore, the remaining clubs (including Rangers) were ok, but there was never a watch list. 

Kind regards.

Clearly, the word “official” is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

In the linked article, the key part was:

Finally, the CFCB First Chamber also observed that another 19 clubs that took part in the 2021/22 UEFA club competitions, namely Borussia Dortmund (GER), Chelsea FC (ENG), FC Barcelona (ESP), FC Basel 1893 (SUI), 1.FC Union Berlin (GER), Fenerbahçe SK (TUR), Feyenoord (NED), Leicester City FC (ENG), Manchester City FC (ENG), Olympique Lyonnais (FRA), Rangers (SCO), Real Betis Balompié (ESP), Royal Antwerp FC (BEL), Sevilla FC (ESP), SS Lazio (ITA), SSC Napoli (ITA), Trabzonspor AŞ (TUR), VFL Wolfsburg (GER) and West Ham United FC (ENG), were able to technically fulfil the break-even requirement thanks to the application of the COVID-19 emergency measures and/or because they benefited from historical positive break-even results (T-3 and T-4).

 

Again, “were able to technically fulfil” is the important part.

Regular readers will be aware that throughout this period, the Sevco High Command were regularly in dignified discussions about the prospect of UEFA sanctions under FFP.

Therefore, Mr Bennet told the truth at the recent AGM of Sevco’s parent company, RIFC.

For the avoidance of doubt, a journalist receiving a clarifying communication from a body such as UEFA in a timely fashion is entirely normal.

Indeed, as a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), it is what I expect.

That said, it is a professional courtesy that similar organisations in Fair Caledonia have never shown me.