General
By a Newsnet reporter
Glasgow Rangers FC are facing disciplinary action as a result of failing to pay Dundee United after last month’s Scottish Cup tie. The club also face charges of bringing the game into disrepute.
In a statement released today by the SFA, the club’s current owner was also deemed by the governing body as not being a fit and proper person to hold a position within association football.
A statement by the SFA’s Chief Executive Stewart Regan said: “Principally, it is the belief of the board, taking into account the prima facie evidence presented today, that Mr Craig Whyte is not considered to be a fit and proper person to hold a position within Association Football.
“We will be writing to Mr Whyte in relation to those findings and shall seek a response within seven days.
“The report submitted by Lord Nimmo Smith, having been considered fully by the board, highlights a number of other potential rule breaches by the club and its owner.
“The report will now be used as evidence and forwarded to a judicial panel for consideration and determination as per the protocol.”
In a statement for Duff and Phelps, Paul Clark immediately sought to distance the club from Mr Whyte and said: “We note the findings and announcement by the Scottish Football association, we look forward to stating the club’s case to the judicial panel.
“In broad terms we believe there are mitigating factors and we hope to demonstrate the distinction between the club and the actions of any individual.”
The new revelations follow news that the club may only be days away from going into liquidation and ceasing to exist altogether.
Despite negotiations with players in a bid at reducing a huge wage bill no agreements could be reached. Tomorrow is expected to see an announcement of redundancies amongst the playing staff.
The administrators have already conceded that there is virtually no possibility of European football next season and there are fears that Rangers may not be able to complete their obligations for this season’s SPL.
Many analysts believe that liquidation is now the most likely outcome for the club which is facing mounting debts and faces massive penalties should it lose the ongoing tax case with the HMRC.
Former owner Sir David Murray is himself facing the prospect of a £20 million lawsuit from former Rangers Director Dave King.
Mr King claims that Murray, who was responsible for introducing the controversial EBT’s that led to non-payment of tax to HMRC, deceived him by not disclosing fully the club’s financial position 12 years ago when he invested £20 million.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland one analyst, Stephen Morrow, said that the decision by the SFA on Craig Whyte was not a surprise.
Commenting on the financial situation he said the club was currently “haemorrhaging cash” and added that a takeover was simply not possible due to the club’s unstable financial state.
Mr Morrow said that liquidation was the most likely outcome and added: “If you look at the things that we know. We know that the previous chairman continues to think he has a claim on some of the assets. We know that there is still a tier one tax tribunal to rule on a potential liability on the organisation. We know that there is an issue around the former sale of season tickets.
“When you look at that kind of level of uncertainty it is difficult how to see you chart a way out of that, which gets the agreements of creditors and doesn’t simply create a monster for whoever takes over this organisation.”
brusque 2012-03-08 20:04
The BBC will repeat the tiniest piece of news about Rangers ad nauseum! That way they hope to completely avoid talking about politics and give Labour time to try to cobble together a policy – any policy, about anything!!!
Then we will hear about the Labour Policy ad nauseum!!!.
It is the way of the BBC.
This is manna from heaven for the BBC, it will make the most of it as it spins and spins, mind you they really don’t have to make it up, but it will claim headline pole position for weeks.
Football whether we like it or not is ingrained in the very soul of Scotland, it is woven in to the DNA, I used to be sick and tired of listening to it when I worked with a lot of others. Every tea break every lunch break every night you met in the pub. The endless arguing and quoting of facts and figures, used to have me putting my fingers in my ears some times. Change the subject and quietness would descend as they turned to stare at you. “What are you on about.”
So this is a godsend for the BBC as they seek to grind Scotland’s face in the dirt. It plays in to the stereotypical imagery deployed by the state broadcaster that Scotland is to wee, poor, stupid, unhealthy, uneducated, uncultured, cold, wet, misty, windy, bleak, and any other piece of cringing propaganda they can suggest. It affects how people are. I know several Rangers fans and they are suicidal right now, and I do mean that. It is the end of life as we know it. A people so affected lack the confidence to stand up and declare, YES we want independence.
Their is much more to this Craig Whyte angle than meets the eye. How could so called educated money men like Murray and the rest of the board be so stupid as to let him steal the club and not have the money to do what he said he would do. Does it mean you can just pitch up and say, “I am a multi millionaire and I will save Rangers.” and they all go, “nae bother big man take it away.”
This situation stinks to high heaven, and the BBC state broadcaster will be milking this well into 2014, to get maximum traction from it. Things are about to get very dirty.
Let’s face it, they have been earning hugely inflated salaries for years
And avoiding paying tax on them.
If they could get 50,000 fans to chip in £1500 each…they’d still have a club that loses £1 million a month. But I’d be happy, because we’d obviously be living in some sort of fantasy land and my chances of persuading Angeline to dump Brad for me would be looking pretty good.
I’ve already got Sir Sean in my sights:-)