ian1964

THE Independent Appellate Tribunal can not decide to throw Rangers out of the Scottish Football Association. For if they do, Rangers would be in a strong position to take the whole matter back to the Court of Session and lay it before Lord Glennie again. And that could open a can of worms and lead to the complete meltdown of Scottish football, with Scottish Football Associationâ??s increasingly bizarre chief executive, Stewart Regan in the dock. Regan should be very careful. If he agrees to meet the erratic Charles Green to attempt to broker some sort of deal for both the SFA and Rangers to save face, the SFA chief executive could well find himself charged with contempt. For what the eminent and learned judge, Lord Glennie, sitting amidst the Majesty of Edinburghâ??s historic seat of Scots Law, the Court of Session, said was that the sentence had to be sent back to the INDEPENDENT Appellate Tribunal. Lord Glennie did not suggest or request that the sentence be sent back to the INDEPENDENT Appellate Tribunal. Lord Glennie ordered that it be sent back to the INDEPENDENT Appelate Tribunal. The one chaired by his colleague, another eminent and learned judge, Lord Carloway. The difference of course between the Law Lords in this case is that one has the full weight of the Scots Law behind him. That is Lord Glennie. Lord Carloway does not. But it is the wording of the INDEPENDENT Appellate Tribunalâ??s findings, which we must assume came from Lord Carlowayâ??s pen and which were posted as a statement on the official SFA website on 16th May 2012, which is interesting. And which I believe leaves that INDEPENDENT Appellate Tribunal effectively snookered when it comes to considering any expulsion of Rangers from the Scottish Football Association. The original INDEPENDENT Judicial Tribunal, chaired by the eminent Queenâ??s Counsel, Gary Allan said â?? and again we must assume the words are his - that such a sentence was viewed as being too harsh. Something the Lord Carloway chaired INDEPENDENT Appellate Tribunal agreed with wholeheartedly. Indeed, Lord Carlowayâ??s statement said: â??The Disciplinary Tribunal rejected the sentence of either expulsion from the game and termination or suspension of membership of the Scottish FA, which would have had a similar affect. â??The Disciplinary Tribunal rejected this as too severe and in this the Appellate Tribunal agreed. â??The Appellate Tribunal observed that serious consideration was given by the Disciplinary Tribunal to imposing one of the sanctions, which would have had obvious consequences for the survival of the club.â? So answer me this. How can the INDEPENDENT Appellate Tribunal now sentence Rangers to either expulsion from the game and termination or suspension of membership the Scottish FA? How can the eminent and learned Lord Carloway now say that when he agreed that Rangers did not deserve to be sentenced to either expulsion or suspension of membership of the Scottish FA, he was wrong? That is a tricky one for Mâ??Lud. And it is an even trickier one for the increasingly beleaguered looking Stewart Regan. What to tell FIFA? How about two words. The second of themâ?¦.OFF! The behind the scenes spin on this story would put Shane Warne to shame. But what is the most shameful thing is the lack of a grasp of the facts â?? or the complete disregard for them - by so many journalists. In fact, I believe Lord Glennie has set a trap for Stewart Regan and the Scottish Football Association. It is this. Lord Glennie has said that any punishment which the INDEPENDENT Appellate Tribunal imposes on Rangers may prove to be harsher than the transfer ban which he overturned. That may tempt some into going for the severe sentence of kicking Rangers out of the SFA and therefore out of world football. Surely, however, Lord Carloway will offer wiser counsel? Surely he will see the trap? For should the INDEPENDENT Appellate Tribunal, chaired by Lord Carloway, opt for that sentence, they may have to appear before Lord Glennie in the Court of Session to explain their change of mind. For Rangers would seem to be perfectly within their rights under Scots Law, to take the matter straight back to the Court of Session. What a spectacle that would be. An eminent and learned judge, Lord Carloway, appearing before another eminent and learned judge, Lord Glennie, amidst the Majesty of the Court of Session. I imagine jurists, advocates, lawyers and law students would fill the court to witness such a spectacle. It would also answer one of the questions FIFA, we are told, have been asking Stewart Regan. Which is, just what is the Court of Session? Sepp Blatter and his gang of neâ??r do well cronies may just find out.

John McBeth has launched a withering attack on Sepp Blatter and says the Fifa president is "in crisis". The former Scottish Football Association president is not surprised at the controversy surrounding Fifa. McBeth warned of corruption within football's governing body in 2007 and was promptly denied the Fifa vice-presidency for which he was nominated. He is adamant that corrupt officials in Fifa must be removed but that it could prove difficult to "expose them". Despite the recent allegations of corruption that resulted in two executive committee members being suspended, Blatter said in a press conference from Fifa headquarters in Zurich on Monday that there was no crisis at Fifa. And McBeth said: "It was predictable, almost funny. His last words of his interview I think showed up that he really is in a crisis - and he knows it." McBeth added: "I think he [blatter] actually knows what his problems are. He talked about the devils and the angels, but for years and years he has known who the devils are and done nothing about it, mainly because they carry a lot of votes. That's politics I suppose." McBeth says that nothing has been done to tackle the corruption at the heart of Fifa since he first warned of the problem. "I raised it four years ago and nothing has happened since. It's one of the problems that's endemic in a world organisation; it's hard to bring them to task," McBeth commented. "They're not transparent, they're based in Switzerland, under different laws to the rest of us and it's very hard to find a way through that to expose them. "I think in some ways he wants to hang onto power to keep the skeletons in the cupboard." â??Uefa as an organisation should stand up and say 'we don't want to be part of this nonsense'â? John McBeth McBeth says it is an almost impossible task to rouse a movement to oust the long-serving Fifa chief. "If they carry on with the election, which they shouldn't do, there is nobody standing against him so it won't need any votes," he said. "Remember, you have got 208 nations from all over the world and to pull that lot together and to get a three quarters majority [the minimum required to postpone the election] will be very difficult to do." Uefa must take the lead in calling for an overhaul of the entire structure of Fifa, according to McBeth. "Uefa as an organisation should stand up and say 'we don't want to be part of this nonsense'. Uefa is run in a totally different way and is far more transparent than Fifa," he said. "I think they need an independent audit committee, not an ethics committee appointed by Mr Blatter and his men, somebody completely outside it to go in and look at the whole setup and sort it out. It's in a poor way." McBeth is not surprised at the latest allegations levelled at Concacaf president Jack Warner , who accused McBeth of racism in 2007 after his assertion that there were corrupt elements within Concacaf and the African associations within Fifa. The row lead to McBeth being removed as the British nomination for a vice-presidency role with Fifa. "It was a bruising experience. To have Warner call me a racist bigot, I thought was it was something very special that I now laugh at," he said. "At the time, I thought 'he doesn't even know me but he just opens his mouth and out it comes' and I thought 'he is guilty as sin'. When that's the reaction you get then he's obviously guilty." McBeth feels that the essence of the game has been lost by those running football, with financial rewards paramount to many of those in power. "To me, football is a sport, a game," he added. "I've always said to them [Fifa committee members], if you look after the game money will follow, if you look after money you will kill the game. Unfortunately they've been looking after money for too long. "It's endemic in football. You see the amount of money that's being exchanged for players in England and around the world. I think it's getting out of hand; it's losing its sporting aspect." http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/13604739

You can add Fleck in there to

Not sure mate,but we do need their permission I think?

If we were banned from the Scottish cup what financial losses would we incur?,bearing in mind that if that should happen then the SFA would probably not allow us to have friendlies to compensate!.

From official Twitter: "@RFC_Official Stay tuned for news at 12pm today about one of the arranged pre-season dates..."

Jane Lewis ‏@JaneLewisSport #Fifa confirm that they've spoken to the #Sfa over the #Rangers situation. Talks will continue and they hope to release a statement today.

I'm sitting waiting to renew my season ticket,I don't go along with the thought of waiting to see who will own the club,the club will need a good season ticket sale and I would like to think the club will sell all the season tickets.As soon as I am asked to renew my season ticket I will without hesitation.

CHARLES GREEN had admitted he will have borrow from the £8.3M which he claims is in the pot to pay off creditors as part of his watered down CVA, just to keep Rangers running. Rangers will run out of money to pay basic running costs within the next few days. And Greenâ??s CVA says quite clearly that the only way Green can pay bills and wages â?? not just those of the players, but all Rangers employees â?? is by robbing Peter to pay Paul. Unless, that is, he can sweet talk Rangers supporters into handing over £15M of their money to buy season tickets. And that, at a time when the fans donâ??t know whether or not their club will even be playing football next season, as the feud between the Scottish Football Association and the Court of Session is set to take a nasty turn, following late night outbursts from SFA chief executive, Stewart Regan. Which makes it even more urgent that Rangers supporters do not stump up their hard earned cash by funding Charles Greenâ??s increasingly dodgy looking deal. For the chances of Charles Greenâ??s CVA being accepted at a creditors meeting on Wednesday are diminishing by the day, opening the way for Green to make the move to snaffle Ibrox Stadium, snare the Albion car park and get his hands on the Milngavie training complex, which I warned about two days ago. If he does that and moves their Crown Jewels out of the ownership of Rangers FC and into his Sevco set up, or any other plc, then as a football club, Rangers will become worthless. Charles Green, though, will make millions. Making the key to the whole thing, the season ticket money. Iâ??ve been told that Charles Green fears Rangers supporters withholding the £15M he so desperately needs to fund his get rich quick scheme. Without that cash from supporters, Greenâ??s cunning plan will collapse. To that end, he has been trying to get at least two major newspapers to back him, by going straight to the top and launching a charm offensive on the editors of the Sun and Herald. I can reveal that Sun editor, Andy Harries, along with his head of sport, Iain King, plus Herald editor Johnny Russell, met Green in his office inside Ibrox on Wednesday. My belief is that both newspapers could now face the perception they have been badly compromised. Rangers supporters therefore must be extremely careful in believing what they read, for there will be more spin coming from Green in the next few days, ahead of him making a plea for their £15M of season ticket money. Green â??s CVA says in 5. 14. 2 that from June 6, the date of the meeting when the creditors vote on a CVA, he expects to pocket season ticket money. He also admits in 5.15 that if Rangers run out of cash to pay the bills, money will be transferred from the CVA pot of £8.3M. But only if Charles Green is appointed to assist in the day-to-day management of Rangers in order for him manage the ongoing trading costs of Rangers and allow for the smooth transition in ownership. That is laid out in the CVA in 4.21. Those are the words used. Green wants to have the power of ownership of Rangers before he pays any money and before he actually does own Rangers. That is a cute move. It is also a clear and present danger to Rangers. The bottom line - what it will all cost Rangers if the CVA goes through - is that the repayments at 8per cent interest over the next eight years, means the £8.3m in the CVA pot, which is only being loaned, will soar to £13.3M worth of repayments to Charles Green. Plus â?? and this is the key to the decision the creditors will take on whether or not to accept Green's already watered down looking CVA - cash taken from the CVA pot to keep Rangers running from June 6, will be money which is not available to pay those creditors. That is, unless Rangers supporters hand over their money to buy season tickets. Then it is their money â?? the cash from Rangers supporters which will go back into the CVA pot â?? that will pay the debts run up by Craig Whyte. The bottom line? Charles Green wants Rangers supporters to pay the debts run up by Craig Whyte. Just as Craig Whyte wanted the season ticket money from Rangers supporters last season to pay the debts he had run up. Making Charles Green no more than Craig Whyte, Mark Two. But if Rangers supporters make it clear they will not buy season tickets, then Green is sunk and Rangers could yet be saved. Ibrox Stadium could yet be saved. The Albion car park could yet be saved. The Milngavie training complex could yet be saved. The situation for the clubâ??s future well being is now even more grave than it was two days ago when I first warned of the danger of Rangers supporters handing over their £15M season ticket money to Charles Green. For Green has already been caught out in major lies. Charles Green said he had 20 investors. Charles Green said he had £20M. He has not got twenty investors. He has not got £20M. He has got nowhere near 20 investors. He has got nowhere near £20M. Charles Green has lied to Rangers supporters before. Big time! Charles Green is not a man Rangers supporters should trust with their hard earned money.

RANGERS may be edging closer to game, set and match but the man who drove the club to the brink is having a ball. Craig Whyte was pictured splashing the cash and sipping champagne at an exclusive members-only tennis club in France. The snaps are sure to stick in the throats of all Ibrox fans and their creditors, who are still owed millions by the ailing club. Last night, magician Alan Duncan, who is owed £2100, hit out: â??I wish I could make Whyte disappear in a puff of smoke but failing that, I hope he chokes on that champagne.â? Decked out in a garish pink polo shirt and massive black and gold designer sunglasses, Whyte laughed and shared jokes with three others round his table at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. He was spotted larking about in the sun with a bevy of beauties, including Swedish girlfriend Izabella Andersson, 32, who he wooed by taking her to Ibrox to watch a match before spending the night at the plush Hotel du Vin in Glasgowâ??s west end. Sipping champagne, and looking generally relaxed, the pair did not look out of place in the magnificent surroundings. But Alan, 43, was furious when he was shown the photographs. He said: â??He has left the club in ruins and he has left smaller businesses, such as myself, in real trouble. â??I could be facing financial ruin because of the state Whyte left the club. â??Right up to the day they called in the administrators, they were telling me, â??Donâ??t worry, you will get paidâ??. But after that happened, they just tore up my contract.â? Alan, of Glasgow, was the official kidsâ?? entertainer at Ibrox. He has spent the last two years transforming the family section at Ibrox, which was recently voted the best in Scotland. Every home game, the father-of-five would go to matches to help keep youngsters entertained. He did face-painting for kids, as well as various magic tricks and handed out helium balloons. But now his business, Alanâ??s Magic, face possible financial ruin. He was sick to the stomach to find out he will receive, at most, around 9p for every £1 he is owed. Alan stands to get around just £180 from the £2000 he is owed â?? and could even end up with a lot less. He added: â??I made Rangers money by making the family section more popular, which increased sales of family tickets for them, and all the thanks I get is a kick in the teeth. â??Whyte has a lot to answer for but, looking at these pics, it doesnâ??t look like he will be back here any time soon.â? The swish club is home to the ATP Monte Carlo Masters tennis tournament, held in April, which attracts some of the best players on the planet, including Andy Murray and world No1 Novak Djokovic. Despite the clubâ??s name, it is not in Monte Carlo or even in Monaco, but is in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in the Alpes-Maritimes department of south-east France, just outside Monacoâ??s north-eastern border. Members can sit in lap of luxury, ordering bottles of Dom Perignon 2000 vintage at £311 a bottle. The cheapest champagne on the clubâ??s wine list is a Louis de Sacy, which comes in at £45, or £29 for a half-bottle. Facilities include saunas, masseurs on call to iron out any aches and pains, and magnificent wood-panel furnishing throughout. It also boasts a heated ozone-treated swimming-pool, plus a number of tennis courts which are overlooked by the restaurant. Anyone wishing to join has to apply in writing to the club president and has to be sponsored by two members, before paying the £1000-a-year fee. It is not known if Whyte is a member of the club or if he was signed in as a guest. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2012/06/01/creditor-owed-cash-by-rangers-blasts-smirking-craig-whyte-as-former-ibrox-owner-laps-up-luxury-in-france-86908-23881436/

SION owner Christian Constantin last night told Rangers to fight FIFA all the way. Constantin went to war with FIFA last year over the Swiss clubâ??s signing ban. Sion were booted out of Europe and Celtic reinstated in their place. Constantin insists Gers must fight on despite fears FIFA and SFA chief Stewart Regan could kick them out of the game. Constantin said: â??Rangers should fight hard. If they think their fight is the right one they should go to the end. â??If FIFA interfere then it will be an abuse of power. â??Rangers canâ??t abandon it because the other party is going to make an abuse, especially if they are convinced they are in the right position. â??There may be pressures, but they should not listen to them. It is in Scottish culture to fight. The players do it on the field and Rangers should do it outside the field.â? FIFA last night confirmed they are speaking to the SFA about Gers. Would-be owner Charles Green wants peace talks with SFA chief Stewart Regan who last night revealed they wonâ??t appeal against Lord Glennieâ??s Court of Session ruling which overturned the SFAâ??s transfer embargo. It will now go back to Lord Carlowayâ??s appeal panel â?? with Gers risking having their SFA membership terminated. But Constantin isnâ??t convinced beaks will crack down on Gers the same way FIFA targeted Sion. He added: â??In our case, Sepp Blatter comes from the same country and it was personal. â??In Rangersâ?? case there is no personal aspect with Blatter so I hope he does not interfere. â??FIFA over-react when people go to the civil courts. They are very frightened the court will poke its nose into FIFAâ??s way of managing football.â? SFA boss Regan warned clubs not to repeat Gersâ?? decision to take disputes to civil courts. He said: â??It is regrettable a member club has sought recourse for a football disciplinary matter through civil court action. â??It is our intention to accede to Lord Glennieâ??s request and refer the matter back to the Appellate Tribunal. â??With our AGM taking place on June 6, it will be appropriate to remind member clubs that by very dint of their membership of the SFA, they accept and abide by our Articles of Association.â? Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/4349780/Gers-will-win-fight.html#ixzz1wWSkxbs5

Jun 1 2012 By James Traynor WITH Scottish footballâ??s rage against Rangers at boiling point, the SFA last night moved closer to booting the beleaguered club out of the game. The governing body are under pressure from a growing number of clubs to deal with Rangers once and for all and must now impose one of two sanctions. They can either terminate Rangersâ?? membership to play ANYWHERE in the world or throw them out the Scottish Cup. And that means would-be owner Charles Green will have no choice but to go cap in hand to SFA chief executive Stewart Regan in a bid to avoid the ultimate sanction. Rangersâ?? Court of Session victory earlier this week backed the SFA into a corner and infuriated other clubs. But the SFAâ??s task now is a simple one. They have only two options remaining. The Independent Judicial Panel, which sat in judgment on Rangers in April, tried to hand down a punishment that reflected the severity of the clubâ??s mismanagement but deliberately stayed away from withdrawing membership. But now that is what might happen. Rangers refused to accept a 12-month signing ban after they and owner Craig Whyte were found guilty of numerous breaches of football law. The clubâ??s administrators Duff and Phelps lost an appeal to an SFA tribunal then went to court in Edinburgh to have the transfer ban lifted. Even though Lord Carloway had chaired the appeals body, Lord Glennie ruled on Tuesday the ban was beyond the SFAâ??s powers. Last night they accepted his decision to send the matter back to the appeals tribunal. But Rangers can expect no mercy now â?? and this time the sanction will stand. With FIFA, who refuse to allow the law of any country to interfere with their game, watching closely, the SFA will have to come down hard on Rangers. If they donâ??t the entire Scottish game will suffer. Rangers also know they have to be punished, although by winning in court they have left themselves wide open to more damaging reprisals. During Whyteâ??s short but catastrophic reign PAYE on wages wasnâ??t handed over to the tax man, now due as much as £15million, apart from the many millions that could be due if Rangers lose the Big Tax Case. The SFA believed a £100,000 fine and 12-month ban on signing players over 18 meant Rangers could still trade â?? but the clubâ??s future has now been thrown into doubt. Green could be left with a club shunned by the entire game. The Yorkshireman, who said he wants to meet with SFA chief Reagan to sort things out, can now only hope for a Scottish Cup ban. Thatâ??s the least other SPL clubs and FIFA will expect. An SFA statement read: â??Football must always operate within the law of the land. None the less, it is regrettable a member club has sought recourse for a football disciplinary matter through increasingly costly civil court action. â??The right of appeal is now open to the Scottish FA through the Court of Session. â??However, by so doing, the very principles on which the Scottish FA â?? and, for that matter, UEFA and FIFA â?? are founded, namely football disciplinary matters being dealt with within its own jurisdiction, would be fundamentally compromised. â??Therefore, it is our intention to accede to Lord Glennieâ??s request and refer the matter back to the appellate tribunal, which will consider the remaining sanctions open to it.â? The SFA have officially alerted FIFA to their legal rift with Rangers. Hampden bosses wrote to the world governing body in Switzerland yesterday and a FIFA spokesman confirmed: â??The SFA have contacted FIFA with regards to the Rangers situation. We will provide further information in due course.â? And Regan said via Twitter: â??We are in consultation with FIFA at present.â? http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/06/01/rangers-in-crisis-ibrox-club-face-being-booted-out-of-the-game-or-the-cup-as-sfa-accept-court-ruling-86908-23881439/

From stv news: Rangers have submitted documents requested by the Scottish Premier League for their investigation of the alleged use of dual contracts at the club. The information, first asked for by the SPL's lawyers on March 5, is almost three months overdue. The league last week threatened possible sanctions against the club if the information was not sent promptly. A short statement from the SPL read: "The SPL confirmed that Rangers FC had today provided documentation to the SPL in relation to the SPL’s investigation into EBT payments. "The SPL’s legal team will now review and provide an update to the SPL Board at the next SPL Board meeting on 18 June." Rangers' co-administrator Paul Clark had defended against the delay, arguing they had more pressing matters in trying to secure the future of the club. A statement from Clark read: "The use of EBTs at Rangers goes back many years and was a matter of public record in the annual accounts. "Our primary focus has been ensuring the survival of Rangers Football Club and attracting a new buyer for the business as well as investigating the financial situation at the club since the takeover in May 2011. "We and the club will continue to give every assistance to the football authorities on issues affecting the club. "It should, however, be noted that the First Tier Tax tribunal has yet to publish its findings in relation to the use of EBTs."

RANGERS have provided the SPL with the files which will allow them to continue their investigation into alleged undisclosed payments to players. The SPL board instigated the investigation on March 5 following claims surrounding the club's use of Employment Benefit Trusts (EBTs) during Sir David Murray's reign. The SPL last week stated that they were looking forward to receiving "full co-operation" from Rangers and the club's administrators after failing to receive the necessary documents. The statement came hours before a BBC documentary with numerous revelations about the EBT scheme. That lengthy investigation moved a step closer to conclusion today when the SPL released a statement which read: "The SPL confirmed that Rangers FC had today provided documentation to the SPL in relation to the SPL's investigation into EBT payments. "The SPL's legal team will now review and provide an update to the SPL Board at the next SPL Board meeting on June 18." The use of EBTs, from 2001-10, was the subject of a tax tribunal in January, which could result in a £75million bill, although Rangers have defended their use of the offshore payments. But whether they were legal or not in the eyes of the tax tribunal might not matter if the club had not disclosed the payments on the official contracts. SPL rules prohibit payments to players that are not made "in accordance with a form of contract approved by the SPL". Rangers had previously accepted a £2.8million tax liability for another scheme involving payments to Ronald de Boer and Tore Andre Flo from 1999 to 2003. The SPL investigation covers the period from the competition's inception in 1998. There are 18 sanctions available to the SPL board should Rangers be found guilty, including stripping the club of league titles. The league's lawyers, Glasgow firm Harper Macleod, have been investigating the matter so far.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/31052012/58/premier-league-paper-round-rooney-set-120m-bid.html

THERE are so many of my colleagues who should not be let loose unaccompanied on Londonâ??s Oxford Street, for fear of them being fleeced, that their numbers would probably jam the old shopping thoroughfare. Back in my heyday Oxford Street was the haunt of nâ??er-do-wells such as three-card-trick hucksters and find-the-lady tricksters. Some of my the Scottish press pack pals give the impression of being gullible enough to lose their wad to one gang on their way down the street, fill up at an ATM and then lose that wad too, to other shysters on their way back. How else to explain their headlong rush to believe that a decision taken by the eminent and learned Scottish Judge, Lord Glennie, sitting amidst the Majesty of the Court of Session, with reference to one of the oldest and most sacred legal systems in the world, Scots Law, should have anything to fear from Sep Blatter and his gang at FIFA. Blatter? Is that us back in Oxford Street surrounded by find-the-lady tricksters and shysters? I name one notable press pack exception to this headlong rush of ill informed hysteria, Michael Grant in the Herald. Grant wrote a reasoned and balanced view of what it all meant and also performed admirably, with wisdom and common sense on BBC Radio Scotland yesterday morning. A wee word of warning to Michael. He should be careful there. Admirable wisdom and common sense, when applied to matters Rangers, do not seem to be welcome on the BBC Scotland airwaves, ruled as they are by a cabal of Rangers hating Celtic supporters. They know who they are. I know who they are. And soon everyone will know who they are. For the moment, let us return to the judgment of the eminent and learned Lord Glennie, issued from the Majesty of Edinburghâ??s ancient Court of Session. Lord Glennie said there was no basis in the Scottish Football Associationâ??s Laws for the punishment of a year-long transfer ban to be imposed on Rangers. As any of his TransAtlantic fellow jurists may say, we hold this truth to be self evident. Lord Glennie then pronounced that the matter of the sentence â?? the SENTENCE, mind you â?? should be referred back to the INDEPENDENT Appeals Tribunal. Rangers at no time appealed against the VERDICT! It would appear that there are many in the press pack who have difficulty separating the verdict from the sentence. There were just as many journalists who either lazily or willfully compared the Rangers case to the one involving Swiss club Sion. There are no similarities. Sion were found guilty of illegal methods in the transfer market and banned from signing players. They then ignored the sentence, signed players and played them in a UEFA tournament. Not a wee bit different. Totally different! In effect, what we have here is another example of how the Scottish Football Association has fallen into disrepair since Stewart Regan was allowed to highjack it and sneak his best buddy, Celtic chief executive, Peter Lawwell, into the seat alongside him around the boardroom table inside Hampden. After the late Paul McBride QC successfully challenged a six match ban on Neil Lennon, with threats of court proceedings hanging in the air, Regan promised reform of the Scottish Football Association Articles of Association, Laws, Rules, Procedures, etc. McBride QC went on record as saying he would help. Stewart Regan went on record too, recalling how the threat of legal action over the Neil Lennon ban had hung in the air and voicing his concern that the Scottish Football Association should never again leave itself open to the possibility of being usurped by the Law of the Land, in, for instance, the Court of Session. Regan said: "We have discussed the matter with Celtic Football Club and they accept that Neil Lennon was guilty of misconduct. "However, with regard to the timing of the suspension we must accept that if our rules cannot be enforced in a court of law then they cannot be imposed and it is foolish to waste money defending such a point. "We acknowledge that our rules do need updating and I have proposed to our board that we commission a complete re write of the disciplinary procedures from a legal perspective to address this whole matter. "Whilst we have an obligation to ensure that our rules can be legally enforced, nevertheless it is important for the future of Scottish football that we do not allow our disciplinary procedures to be used as a costly legal playground. "We must ensure we can reach a happy balance where every decision is not subject to an appeal and football can self-govern without constant legal interventions." All of the above is pretty clear. Regan mentions the past SFA rules could not be defended in a court of law. That it would be foolish to waste money attempting to defend such a point and that a complete re-write of the disciplinary procedures was needed, from a legal perspective. He added that such a re-write was part of the SFAâ??s obligation to ensure that its rules could be legally enforced. But after goodness knows how much money was wasted by the Regan-Lawwell SFA cabal, the Scottish Football Association cannot even abide by its own rules. The sentence which was handed down to Rangers was one the eminent and learned Lord Glennie, sitting amidst the Majesty of the Court of Session, and drawing on the experience of one of the worldâ??s oldest legal systems, Scots Law, decreed cannot be legally enforced. Lord Glennie spoke and so the whispering in ears began. So started the spin. The result? Big bad FIFA will clamp down on the Scottish Football Association and ORDER them to get tough on Rangers. To boot Rangers out of the Scottish Football Association. To bring an end to Rangers. Take that! Thatâ??ll teach you to want to abide by the Law of the Land. We are Stewart Regan and Peter Lawwellâ??s SFA and we are above such petty restrictions. Weâ??ve got Sep Blatter on our side. What does he care for Scots Law? With an added hint here, a wee whisper there, give it a good stir and what do we have? That it is the Scottish Football Association who will clamp down and hammer Rangers. In fact the sad Sun, so far behind on this Rangers story that it's been lapped countless times, is still peddling the line that FIFA are breathing down the SFA's neck, putting pressure on Stewart Regan to break Scots Law. REALLY? I am sure the eminent and learned Lord Glennie would take more than a passing interest were that to happen. After all, when he overturned the SENTENCE, he sent the matter back to the Independent Judicial Appeals Tribunal. The definitive word there, beingâ?¦. INDEPENDENT! A word Peter Lawwellâ??s pal, SFA head honcho, Stewart Regan used over and over and over again when the verdict was first delivered by an INDEPENDENT Judicial Panel and then confirmed by an INDEPENDENT Judicial Appeals Tribunal. Therefore, any hint, any suggestion, any slight suspicion, that what the eminent and learned Lord Glennie ordered, is not INDEPENDENT, and Stewart Regan will find himself hauled in front of the learned Law Lord and asked to explain himself. Ordered to give Lord Glennie a good reason for his actions not being treated as contempt of court. It won't be that pillar of honesty and integrity, of all things good and decent, the old FIFA despot, Blatter facing the Majesty of Scots Law. It will be Stewart Regan It will be Regan who will be ordered to give Lord Glennie a good reason why he should not utter the feared instruction ofâ?¦ â??TAKE HIM DOWN!â? And I donâ??t mean down to the Big Smoke for a wander along Oxford Street to watch so many of the Scottish Press pack fall for the three card trick.

It's not like it is a new thing for the BHEASTS

I'd like the supporters groups to be asking these questions

By jim Traynor on May 31, 12 08:21 AM in rangers THE timing of Lord Glennie's judgment was perfect for Duff and Phelps and their chosen one, Charles Green. The old Law Lord couldn't have lobbed in his stun grenade at a more opportune moment even if he'd been a member of the consortium taking over Rangers. All focus was on the SFA, FIFA and Rangers after the Court of Session ruling on Tuesday which deemed the game's governing body were wrong to impose a 12-month signing ban on the Ibrox club. And just as the spotlight was being swung towards Edinburgh, the club's administrators sent out their Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) proposal for approval by creditors. Effortlessly, and without any turbulence, Green glided in under the radar and closer to his goal. The Yorkshireman and Duff and Phelps must have been beside themselves. With just about everyone else concentrating totally on the potentially catastrophic consequences of Lord Glennie's decision, it was inevitable the CVA papers would hardly be scanned. An absolutely vital step in the process of finding Rangers' new owner had just been taken, yet no one stepped forward to ask a single question. Incredible. Rangers fans and the rest of us have waited so long for a CVA to be sent out but, when it was, our minds were elsewhere. However, yesterday while Rangers and the SFA were consulting their lawyers trying to find a side road which might be taken to avoid a head-on collision with FIFA, there was time to reflect on a CVA that threw up more questions than answers. And one of those questions is blindingly obvious: Why Green? Someone inside the Duff and Phelps team really must provide an answer to that one and perhaps also explain exactly what it is Green has come up with that the others interested parties hadn't. It's not too much to ask of the administrators. After all, they'll be getting more than £2.5million for their trouble. Not to mention the trouble they've caused. We'd been led to believe that no other bidder, Bill Miller apart, slapped down more money on the table or offered as much to the creditors' pot yet now it seems Green's buy-out won't really be better value than some of the other proposals. Especially after the administrators have been paid. One financial expert said yesterday that Green's bid is actually pretty poor and nothing like the deal it was dressed up to be. So what exactly is going on? And again, why this man? Why this bid? Rangers are in this mess mainly because the owner, Craig Whyte, got his financial projections all wrong - or did he? We have yet to discover if all along his game has been a long one - and because he borrowed way too much on future season ticket sales. That's the money he used to pay off Lloyds, take control of Rangers and march them to the brink of closure. Whyte bought Rangers, not with his money but borrowings. Green is buying the club from him, not with his money but borrowings. It might be naive to ask but don't Duff and Phelps have some kind of duty of care to Rangers? If so, they should be explaining fully why they believe Green to be the man to return the club to good health but their CVA document offers nothing to ease the concerns of Rangers fans. Neither does Green, who has shown little sign of being able to back up the big talk. Let's just reflect on what he's said so far. He broke cover a few weeks ago, just after Miller ditched his bid, claiming to have 20 "individuals and families" pledging support. "There are some investors from the UK, the Middle East, Asia and the Far East," he said. "The cash is in a bank account." It must still be there because even though Duff and Phelps confirmed they'd seen proof of £20m in funding Green didn't come up with the £2.7m required last Friday as the first down payment. He may not have paid the full amount on Monday either and it's thought he offered £1m instead. Maybe he misplaced his cashline card but presumably he and the administrators met somewhere in the middle to get the CVA out. But that raises another obvious question: If he has as much as £20m in an account, why the delay which prevented the CVA from going out last week or even the first day of this week? Is there a reason it can't be used? Is it his to spend right now? And Rangers fans might also ask what became of the 14 investors who seem to have disappeared. Green has admitted he has only about six now and he's also been trying to attract local investors, presumably wealthy sympathisers like bus and car dealer Douglas Park. But according to the CVA the money Green puts in will be a loan to be paid back within eight years plus interest. That means of course that Rangers will not be debt-free when he buys it even though it's believed he said it would be when he spoke recently to a supporters group. The current owner said something similar, not that I'm saying Green is Whyte. However, I am saying Green has done nothing yet to prove he is the man to right the many wrongs within Ibrox. If his group were all that he described at the outset the £8.5m purchase would have been no more than loose change to them and a loan certainly wouldn't have been necessary. But that it is suggests there isn't a lot of money sloshing around within his dwindling group and that must be disappointing for Rangers supporters, who should also be asking why Duff and Phelps appear to be bending over backwards for Green. They've put forward a CVA proposal even though creditors have no idea how much they might get. But of course the administrators themselves don't have that problem because they'll be paid in full. They can't lose out of this but Rangers and their fans can. They can lose it all. Their club with all its assets is being handed over to someone who hasn't done enough or answered nearly enough questions to make the fans believe in him. What they do know is Green will get 10 per cent of any money raised but they have no idea who has made the loan or how the club will be funded through June because there will be no drawdown from his money until July. Player sales perhaps but answers are needed to other questions, such as why is Green the only person who can buy the assets out of liquidation if the CVA is rejected? And what does Whyte stand to gain from this buy-out? As things stand Green is getting Rangers lock, stock and barrel for £2 and will be able to do what he wants with the club, Ibrox and Murray Park. If his "individuals and investors" don't buy in and he needs to raise money he could sell one of the jewels but without their properties Rangers would be finished. With Duff and Phelps likely to be getting demob happy the fans might have to take matters into their own hands and make it clear to Green he shouldn't rely on season ticket money until they've been shown some kind of legal guarantee that their club, the team and the properties will never be separated. Their custom, which Green is already banking on, is the only weapon they have. But it's a powerful one to be used as a last resort. It's up to the Rangers support to decide if that time is now. If Green is all he says, there should be no reason why he wouldn't want to give the guarantees. Then Rangers, their new owner and their fans could enjoy a wonderful life together. Just as soon as they get the SFA, SPL and FIFA off their backs. http://blogs.dailyrecord.co.uk/jimtraynor/2012/05/duff-and-phelps-must-explain-w.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyRecord%2FJimTraynor+%28The+Daily+Record+-+Jim+Traynor%29

Will we ever find out why the other bids failed,in detail?

THE vice-president of FIFA last night urged Rangers to get in line or Scottish football is facing Armageddon. Former Irish FA boss Jim Boyce has warned that the stricken club risks dragging SPL rivals and the national team down if they persist in fighting their transfer ban through the law courts. As Record Sport revealed yesterday, Scotland could be banned from World Cup qualifiers and Celtic, Motherwell, St Johnstone, Hearts and Dundee United prevented from competing in Europe if the row escalates. Boyce fears Rangers have set off on a dangerous path travelled last year by FC Sion, which almost saw Swiss rivals FC Basle expelled from the Champions League and the national side excluded from World Cup qualifiers. However, Boyce also hinted there could be a glimmer of a compromise in the fact Rangers did not argue against the 12-month transfer embargo, only that the sanction was not available to the SFA judicial panel which imposed it. Boyce said: â??Neither FIFA or UEFA like any clubs of their member associations becoming involved in legal action. If any club is not happy with its governing body they should seek to settle their dispute through the Court of Arbitration for Sport. â??The matter has not yet been reported to FIFA by the SFA but I expect they will keep each other informed. If the SFA are not happy with the situation I expect them to write to UEFA and FIFA within the next three days. â??This matter has to be resolved. It cannot go on. If FIFA donâ??t believe it is being handled properly itâ??s up to them to deal with it, as they did with FC Sion. Itâ??s a similar case. The threat of sanctions against clubs and the national team made the Swiss authorities act very quickly.â? FC Sion signed six players last year, including ex-Hearts defender Jose Goncalves, despite being banned from the transfer market by FIFA after illegally poaching Egyptian keeper Essam El Hadary. They eventually backed down, despite winning battles in the law courts, in the face of FIFA threats to rival clubs and the Swiss national team and were docked 36 points by Swiss league chiefs. Rangers have not yet gone as far as FC Sion and the thrust of their successful case at the Court of Session was in arguing the SFA judicial panel acted outwith its powers by imposing a transfer ban. Asked if that would be taken into account by FIFA, Boyce added: â??Iâ??m not a legal expert but it would have to be. I donâ??t know the legal powers the SFA had to do what they did.â? Last night an SFA spokesman said: â??We are still in consultation with our legal advisors and with FIFA.â? Meanwhile, Boyce also made it clear that if Rangers are expelled by the SFA they could not move to join another association. He said: â??Iâ??ve read this rubbish for years that Rangers and Celtic could play in England. Under UEFA and FIFA rules this simply canâ??t happen.â? http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/05/31/rangers-in-crisis-fifa-chief-jim-boyce-insists-governing-body-will-step-in-if-ibrox-club-don-t-get-in-line-86908-23880097/

FIFA insisted last night they are closely monitoring the situation with Rangers and the SFA. The game’s governing body are waiting to hear an explanation from the SFA of how Rangers took them to a civil court and won, a move in direct breach of their rules. FIFA ban clubs from going to the law courts but that was flouted by Rangers, who successfully argued to the Court of Session that the SFA’s own statutes were flawed and did not allow them a path to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A strongly worded statement on Tuesday demanded the SFA “take action’ against the Gers for going to court. They are watching intently to see how under-fire chief executive Stewart Regan handles the situation. But a spokesman insisted they won’t decide whether to become involved until after they are briefed by the SFA. He said: “If it goes further we will get involved.” Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/4347823/FIFA-keeping-eye-on-Regan.html#ixzz1wOvyHcbd

Just about to kick off,for anybody that is interested

WOULD-BE Rangers chief Charles Green last night called for peace talks with SFA supremo Stewart Regan to stop Scottish football lurching into civil war. Sunsport can reveal that the man piecing together the plan to guide the Glasgow giants out of administration has written to SFA chief executive Regan to ask for a Hampden summit. Gers are on a collision course with the Hampden hierarchy after they went to the Court of Session to challenge the 12-month transfer embargo imposed for non-payment of £14.3million of taxes during the disastrous Craig Whyte era. Lord Glennie ruled the SFA panel’s decision was unjust to the fury of the beaks and that left FIFA seething that the game had been dragged into the civil courts. FIFA want Gers clobbered for their actions and straight-talking Yorkshireman Green told SunSport: “I want to have talks with Stewart Regan to find a way out of this for the good of Scottish football. “There is a balancing act here. We accept Rangers should be punished for the sins of the past. I am not disputing that, the SFA have an obligation to do that. “But I have to stress that the fans of Rangers, administrators and myself feel the initial penalty given to the club was too harsh. “Now there has to be a solution and a way out that doesn’t cause carnage for the game in Scotland.” SunSport understands administators Duff & Phelps felt that they had no option but to go to the Court of Session because the Court of Arbitration of Sport in Lausanne route was closed off to them. Former Sheffield United chief executive Green, who arrived at Hampden yesterday with Gers director of football administration Andrew Dickson, said: “There has been talk that if the SFA appeal to Lord Carloway who rubber-stamped the original decision, then Rangers could be booted out of football for 12 months — or even for good. “If everyone steps back from the understandable emotions of this for a second I can’t believe anyone who loves the game in Scotland wants that. “I want to speak with Stewart Regan to try and find the right path for Rangers and the game as a whole in this country.” Now with FIFA breathing down the SFA’s necks Green is desperate to avoid the toughest sanctions in the statutes, after launching his bid to take Gers out of administration with the £8.5million cash injection he prays will satisfy the club’s creditors. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scot...#ixzz1wOoNsW00

Former SFA chief executive Gordon Smith Thursday May 31,2012 By Scott Burns GORDON SMITH fears that FIFA could give Scotlandâ??s World Cup hopes the boot if the Scottish Football Association buckle to Rangers and the courts. The gameâ??s governing body issued a statement yesterday that it was unhappy that Rangers had successfully appealed against their year-long transfer ban, imposed by an SFA judicial panel, in the Court of Session. The court has told the SFAâ??s judicial panel to look at other punishments because a block on signings wasnâ??t part of their remit. FIFA have been angered that Rangers have gone outside of football and have now told the SFA they will be watching with interest to see what happens because Scotlandâ??s national and club teams could suffer over if Rangers are not brought back into line. Former SFA chief executive Smith, who was also director of football at Rangers under Craig Whyte, warned: â??The SFA have been put in a very difficult position by FIFA. They always like football issues to be dealt with by their respective authorities. ì The SFA have been put in a very difficult position by FIFA. They always like football issues to be dealt with by their respective authorities î Former SFA chief executive Gordon Smith â??When I was at the SFA I was very much aware that FIFA didnâ??t like people going against their respective associations. That was always something that irked them and I think they have also thrown teams out of the World Cup because some countries had even tried to take FIFA on through the courts. â??I think they will be talking to the SFA and warning them that what happens with this case could have a real impact on the Scottish national teams. That is where FIFA could really use their force. We are about to start a World Cup campaign and FIFA could quite easily place sanctions against us if the SFA take on board the opinion of a court rather than just rejecting the ruling and dealing with Rangers through football channels. SEARCH FOOTBALL for: â??That was why I thought it might have been better for Rangers and Scotland to try and thrash something out rather than go down the legal route. There will certainly be ramifications if the SFA sit back and accept what the court has ruled.â? Former SFA chief executive Smith believes the SFA must now take advice from FIFA and not the courts or there could be serious repercussions for our game â?? which could see our domestic and international teams banned from the major tournaments. Swiss football faced a similar headache last season when Sion took on FIFA in the courts over their transfer ban and FIFAâ??s decision to kick them out of last seasonâ??s Europa League, handing Celtic their place in the group stages. â??I know the people at the SFA wouldnâ??t have wanted things to turn out this way because they also have the interests of Scottish football at heart to,â? Smith insisted. â??But because there has been a court ruling they will need to base their stance on what FIFA say. If it means taking strong action against Rangers to alleviate any sanctions on themselves then they are going to have to do that.â? Smith believes that the SFA would lose face if they were to remove the 12 month signing block. He believes the best way round it would be to keep the ban in place but to tinker with it slightly and allow Rangers only to bring in free transfers. â??The SFA now have to look at the sanction and put some other options in it,â? Smith admitted. â??The sanctions are fine but there should, maybe, have been conditions on them. â??Maybe keep the ban in place but only allow Rangers to sign free transfers. Also if Rangers were able to clear their football debts then the ban should be lifted all together. â??Other than that I would have only allowed Rangers to sign free transfers. To me that is still a major restriction to Rangers. Let us all remember that everybody at Rangers would still be punished and suffer. You also have to remember that there are a lot of innocent people there as well, like the current players and fans. I know other people will still see that Rangers would be getting off with it but that wouldnâ??t be the case. They are not being able to sign who they want and their signing options would be limited.â? http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/323491 Reply With Quote