Rangers facing disciplinary action as Whyte deemed unfit to own club

General

Thursday, 08 March 2012 17:45

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.”

Comments

#
Welsh Sion
2012-03-08 18:04

Quick O/T:

Hope to meet as many of you in Glasgow over the weekend. I’m crossing your border late tomorrow evening by train.

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tartanfever
2012-03-08 18:36

Safe journey WS. Not able to put in an appearance myself but I’m sure many will be there to welcome you.

Hope it’s a great weekend for all concerned.

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C2DEalba
2012-03-08 19:37

I’m sick of hearing abour Rangers, the level of coverage is causing fatigue over the situation.

Tin hat on!

Plenty of people face redundnacy in this environment, they are a football club who did not pay their taxes. Ultimately, they are a business thus these are risks.

#
nchanter
2012-03-08 19:49

Yes I am sick of hearing about RFC as if it was important. Mind you it is handy for hiding other bad news. I didn’t know it was so much fun being paranoid.

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m4rkyboy
2012-03-08 19:59

Not owning a TV and not buying papers has its drawbacks.
I know Rangers are in administration but what are the options?Liquidation means selling assets to pay debts, right?If the debts outweigh the assets then they declare bankruptcy,righ t?What am i missing here?If they get a white knight to invest then the adminsitrators can negotiate terms with the creditors?

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tartanfever
2012-03-08 20:20

Your pretty much spot on. However, the debts are going up daily, which is why rangers need to get their costs down right now – which means that many of the players will have to go as the club can’t afford them, along with some staff.

The other thing is that their finances are in such a mess that the administrators can’t work out exactly what their financial position is. If they don’t do this soon then they will not be eligible to play in European competition and could face penalties from the Scottish football authorities. All of this means less revenue to the club.

Also without knowing what the debt is precisely and not knowing what the stadium and land at both Ibrox and Murray Park are worth, it’s difficult to work out if the debts would equal or exceed the value of the assets. I think it’s pretty much expected that these assets would not cover the debt, but by how much is unknown.

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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.

#
Angus
2012-03-08 20:51

If Rangers go down, which there is a fair chance, this will be devasting to thousands of fans.
Not being a supporter of any of the Auld firm, or football in general, it doesnt really interest me, but we are all diferant, and to some people Rangers is their life.

#
DonaldMhor
2012-03-08 20:52

Quote:

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.

#
Arthur G
2012-03-08 21:23

There are one or two things I’d like to contribute here. I know several Rangers fans who are either members of the SNP or are solidly behind the aims of the party. the myth that the Rangers support is a homogeneous group of Unionists is just that a myth.

Incidentally there is no club called ‘Glasgow’ Rangers there is a club called The Rangers Football Club.

I have often opined that it’s a toss up as to which organisation the BBC most detests the SNP or The Rangers FC, as both are continuously misrepresented to a ridiculous degree. I could begin a list but we would be here to midnight and it would not be for the reasons of defending The Rangers FC but to point out that BBC Scotland’s bias and its employment policy is not geared solely to denying the people of Scotland an accurate view of the political and economic realities of Scotland. BBC Scotland is, in my view, a publicly funded organisation with a decidedly sinister agenda; certain targets TheSNP/Scottish Government, Rangers, The Scottish Conservatives &c; are selected for close scrutiny, condemnatory reporting and or ridicule at the public’s expense, while others most notably The Labour Party, dodgy tycoons other assorted ‘business’ types, corrupt officials, corrupt clergy, organised crime figures &c; are, seemingly, deemed unworthy of investigation or censure. One need only look sat the hermeneutic-like scrutiny given to non-stories or the alleged behaviour and activities of certain nationalist officials and compare these with complete lacuna when it comes to the many, many, unanswered questions surrounding, say, the ex-leader of Glasgow City Council’s
Labour administration.

But back to The Rangers, people are entitled to dislike the club and to revel in its difficulties and possible collapse but the old caveat of beware of what you wish for comes into play. Scottish football would undoubtedly continue without Rangers but if you believe that Celtic would wish to stick around and that somehow the the league would be better without Rangers, its ability to generate income for other clubs or its travelling fans – who despite the comments of certain chairman – do put large amounts of money into their bank accounts, then you would be, in my view, deluding yourself.

Football in Scotland and the media that surrounds it and whips up controversy has become a bitter and a far less pleasant experience over the last decade and that goes beyond the ‘rivalry’ of the two big Glasgow clubs, I notice it in many senior grounds that I visit. In many ways the general atmosphere at games reminds me of the ‘friendly rivalry’ between the fans that I had the ‘pleasure’ of experiencing when I used to work in Cummnock and attended Cummnock and Auchinleck Talbot local derbies.

I would restate that anyone who thinks that all the ills of Scottish football would disappear with the demise of The Rangers FC is deluding themselves. Just remember, referees strikes, dismissals and the ‘palace coup’ at the SFA/SPL had nothing to do with the club, that, now it seems, has no friends.

#
independentgirl
2012-03-08 21:27

I am sick and tired of hearing about RFC. If some players will not accept a pay cut in order to save the company then they deserve all they get. Let’s face it, they have been earning hugely inflated salaries for years and are just too big for their boots, and I don’t mean their football boots! What about the office staff and people like that? Do you think the footballers care about these people?
As far as Craig Whyte is concerned, why was he allowed to take over the club in the first place? He is now deemed to be a person not fit to run RFC. Why was that investigation not undertaken in the first place and why was David Murray so eager to get rid of RFC?

#
Jiggsbro
2012-03-08 21:32

Quoting independentgirl :

Let’s face it, they have been earning hugely inflated salaries for years

And avoiding paying tax on them.

#
lumilumi
2012-03-08 21:40

I don’t think the fate of a football club should be no 1 national news (as BBC, Scottish MSM thought), when there’s something far more important going on.

The Rangers are an institution, and I can understand how fans feel very srtongly about the club.

But what is more important? The survival of a football club? Or the survival of a nation?

Confused Gers supporters won’t be able to answer that one – in fact, they don’t care whether Scotland is independent or not, just as long as their beloved Gers beat the Celtics.

And then to form a ‘political’ opinion based on a sports club? People need to grow up!

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cokynutjoe
2012-03-08 21:50

Of course they care, they also care about their football team. They’re fully grown up, they’re capable of thinking about more than one thing at a time. Todays big news is Rangers. To some folk football is supremely important. You don’t understand that, which is fine.

#
Macart
2012-03-08 21:58

As some have stated already, politics and sport aside, RFC is a huge business with a large number of satellite businesses and other football clubs reliant on their existence. This will create a huge financial backwash which will devastate many.

I’m no football fan by any stretch, but I do feel for the folks who are about to be caught in undertow of this floundering business. We’ve already been told of the six figure sum owed to another SPL side. How many others are there out there in need of the cash which is no longer forthcoming?

#
dundie
2012-03-09 07:26

Dunfermline are also owed money, £85,000 if I remember rightly, and they have a cash flow problem too. Nowhere near the one Rangers face, but for a smaller club in financial difficulties it’s all a bit relative. The management of Rangers has got them into the situation they find themselves in, and whilst I have every sympathy for the ancillary staff whose jobs are at risk here, I have little left over for the players, some of whom seem to have signed contracts which were, to say the least, a little dodgy. At the end of the day we all, individuals and businesses alike, have to pay taxes, whether we agree with how they’re then spent by government or not. No football club deserves “special treatment” by HMRC, and must face the consequences of their actions. If this means liquidation, and reformation under new management, then so be it.

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Macart
2012-03-09 08:11

I fully agree dundie. They overspent, they broke the rules and possibly the law. You don’t get off by just having a name. They either pay up or declare for bankruptcy. But I can’t help but feel sorry the folks caught in the wake of this.

#
McHaggis
2012-03-08 22:19

I think that the bigger picture is also that if Rangers is liquidated but re-emerges as some phoenix club unburdened by all the debt they have accrued, what do you think the likes of Dunfermline and other clubs might consider as the ‘easy’ option going forward?

You could see at least a dozen clubs choose liquidation as a means to an end.

If Rangers die, then it should be buried. There should be no ‘get out of jail free’ card for any club that cannot manage its finances.

The League authorities should also hang their heads in shame at the mess – no – scandal being allowed to unfold at the moment. Is it not their job to monitor clubs to stop this from happening?

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tartanfever
2012-03-08 22:29

Yes, but the thing is they won’t have any assets. So no Ibrox, no players, no training facilities etc. It would take them years to get back up to their previous stature.

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Jiggsbro
2012-03-08 22:53

A new company can be created, which can buy the stadium and training facilities (and could offer contracts to the players) and then form a football club. It could call itself Rangers, because the name would be available. The club could then apply to join the SPL and the other clubs – with an eye to gate and TV monies – might well vote to allow that. There is a ‘get out of jail free’ card, but only for the name of Rangers, not for the people who’ve sunk their money into it.

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tartanfever
2012-03-08 23:25

However, with the debts possibly up at around £60- £70 million if the full tax is demanded on these EBT’s – then the liquidation of the club and subsequent sale of any assets will still require tens of millions in payment for those assets.
Yes Craig Whyte has set up various other companies and he is the preferred creditor of the sale of any assets, but with this report saying he is unfit to be in charge of a football club from the SFA, it is likely that he could just walk away with the cash and not reinvest in a new club as there would be objections to his continued involvement within football.
At the very least it’s still going to cost tens of millions, and it isn’t obvious that the other SPL clubs would let Rangers back in because the gate money receipts and tv money is for them is so highly exaggerated.

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Jiggsbro
2012-03-08 23:38

The assets can only be sold for the value that a purchaser is prepared to put on them; that value will then be used to pay the creditors. Any remaining debt will be written off. The £60- £70 million figure is only relevant if someone wants to buy the club as a going concern (if it can even be called that!). The value to other SPL clubs of Rangers being in the league may well be exaggerated, but it’s still significant.

Of course, it’s quite possible that a property developer might offer a better price for the real estate assets than any potential ‘new Rangers’ directors, in which case the liquidators would have a responsibility to accept the higher offer.

There is still that ‘get out of jail free’ card, but it requires landing on a Chance square and hoping the card is at the top of the pack. The odds are against Rangers at the moment, but the outside chance is still there.

#
brusque
2012-03-08 22:53

It seems there may be people who put “losing Rangers” on a par with possibly “losing their home or livelihood”.

I understand the angst, I’m not making light of it, but I seriously doubt the sanity of people who talk about fans contributing to keep Rangers afloat, when they don’t know how they will pay the mortgage/rent in the current economic climate.

I’m not referring to anyone in this thread by the way, but to a conversation locally!

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Jiggsbro
2012-03-08 23:43

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.

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brusque
2012-03-08 23:50

Quoting Jiggsbro:

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:-)

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Rangers facing disciplinary action as Whyte deemed unfit to own club

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