Thank you- all of you!
If last night was presented in a script, I would have thrown it back at the writers as being too contrived and corny for words. Just minutes before the BBC broadcast “Rangers- The Men Who Sold The Jerseys” the @rangerstaxcase twitter feed exploded with activity: this blog had won the 2012 Orwell Blog Prize.
I had been asked to prepare a statement in the event of winning and the following was read out by the writer Sean Dodson:
Winning the Orwell Blog Prize is both a tremendous surprise and a great honour. The quality of writing from the other short-listed candidates was just so high that I did not really think that my blog stood much of a chance.That rangerstaxcase would win a prize named for George Orwell is particularly apt. Orwell created the lexicon for fighting back against the interests of powerful individuals and a co-opted media. Over the last decade, prominence and wealth were able to silence the story of what was really happening within Rangers FC. The story of how a single businessman could bend the banking, football, and newspaper businesses in a small country to his will is a microcosm of the dangers lurking within all free societies.
The blog answered a need for the facts when it was obvious that the Scottish media had no interest in taking on the vested interests who wanted this story kept under wraps. I would like to thank all of those people who have contributed to the debates on the blog and I am especially grateful to those brave individuals who have made it possible for me to tell the truth about this story.
Tonight is important for the Rangers tax case in two major respects. In addition to the Orwell Blog Prize, BBC Scotland will broadcast a documentary tonight entitled: “Rangers- The Men Who Sold The Jerseys”.
A project that was born out of frustration at the Scottish media’s refusal to investigate this story comes to an end with the finest investigative journalist in the country, Mark Daly, laying out the facts on television for the whole country to see. To watch this project achieve its primary goal and to receive this award on the same night is truly something special.
Thank you to the judges, to the other entrants and shortlisters, to Alex Thompson at Channel 4 News, and to my long-suffering family who have provided tremendous support while working on this project.
Speak up: individuals can make a difference.
I want to start naming names and thanking the best contributors to this site. However, there are just too many of you and I dread the idea that I would leave someone out. As most of you write on here under pseudonyms anyway, it is best to avoid a long Oscar-style list of names. You all know who you are. This blog would not have had any impact without the debates and discussion that you all contributed so much towards. Thank you.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
If last night was presented in a script, I would have thrown it back at the writers as being too contrived and corny for words. Just minutes before the BBC broadcast “Rangers- The Men Who Sold The Jerseys” the @rangerstaxcase twitter feed exploded with activity: this blog had won the 2012 Orwell Blog Prize.
About rangerstaxcase
Rangers Tax Case 
I don’t mind admitting defeat now, the longer this farce goes on, the more convinced I am that the SFA/SPL are just not fit for purpose, I really hope the other SPL teams take the fans strength of feeling on board today and vote accordingly……..if the meeting isn’t delayed again? NO TO NEWCO we need to rid our game of all cheating elements 🙂 now who could I mean???
FIFA could sort this out in an instant by banning Iniquity FC from the game sine die, and forbidding all other clubs the world over from ever playing a match at the Big Den of Iniquity.
Gosh, I wish they would.
LuoAnLie @ 6:00am
That’s the sad thing, they still can’t sign anyone because they are in administration, but they are the peepil so the duffers tried to get cousin because they don’t stick to any rules, don’t pay bills of any description and get offended when anyone complains. NO TO NEWCO 🙂
There are now 2 issues to be dealt with (Gregory Ioannidis). 1. Bringing the game into disrepute, and 2. Taking the appeal to the CoS.
Firstly. The SFA have failed in trying to impose a sanction which effectively tried to help RFC(IA) out. Now a revisit is required and given the Rangers standpoint, the punishment that was initially deemed “too harsh” must now be deemed right. Suspension.
To ensure that the second issue is dealt with in a manner that placates FIFA/UEFA, the SFA must then expel RFC(IA).
Hopefuly these measures ensure that should RFC(IA) manage to somehow wriggle out of one, the other one ensures that they stay down. Belt and braces if you like.
As well as satisfying FIFA/UEFA, these sanctions give our football authorities a whole year to ensure that all relevant investigations into the conduct of RFC(IA) is investigated fully and any other sanctions deemed necessary as a result of the findings are lying in wait should Rangers attempt to re appear.
At the same time, the member clubs may want to give some thought to the prospect of downsizing the football authorities into one, fit for purpose organisation with real leaders at the helm.
The time is for messing around is gone. No club, not even Kilmarnock, can attempt to display any kind of warped compassion for these “peepil.” They have shown their hand in a manner that threatens the very existence of Scottish football. They must be dealt with in the same sort of way.
What happens when their ban/expulsion is up? We have a full year to sort that out. Time to show them that they just thought they were “ra peepil.”
A non-footy work colleague looked puzzled yesterday:
“So Rangers don’t have any money to pay their debts?”
“Yes”
“And they were banned from signing players they couldn’t pay for anyway?”
“Yes”
“Won’t the people they owe money to be upset that they have gone to court to overturn the ban so they can sign players? Would it not be better to offer the money they plan to spend on players to the people they owed money to?”
D’oh – non-footy fans! What do they understand, eh?
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan:
Very enjoyable post. Alas you didn’t mention the RFC (IA) of sixties boxing Sonny Liston, a man notorious for abusing every sporting regulation, who had a deeply unpleasant criminal past, and died in confusing and murky circumstances. He was nicknamed ‘The Bear.’
Paulmac 12.05
Suspension could be achieved by bringing Pars or Dee up this coming but then having 2 teams relegated following season
Is CIS cup SFA’s competition to suspend from ?
Dingbat flabbychops says the SFA have acted unlawfully and against the rules ROFL bit of pot, kettle and black here 🙂 but sorry I forgot they’re the peepil, utter tosh,total farce!
In the link to the football lawyer ,he at no time mentions a ban from the SC as a sanction ,Where has this sanction come from .
Is this another case of SFA trying to find ways to avoid applying the rules to ragers
In my opinion the Scottish footballing authorities have always been a bit toothless in the face of litigation. They don’t seem to be able to make a decision and stick to it for fear that they end up in court. Now that they’ve lost this particular round and had to pay costs, I feel that, they will take the easier option when dealing with RFC (IA) because they’re totally out of their depth.
I wonder is anyone will let FIFA/UEFA know that ragers have failed to produce audited accounts to be able to obtain a license to play next year .
Something tells me they may be interested to know why they are going to court to sign players for next year
Well what a complete and utter mess this really is. Let me see if I can sum up the main points of the latest twist in this saga.
RFC (IA) are punished by an SFA tribunal because they haven’t paid their PAYE and NI during season 2011/12 thus gaining an unfair advantage over their competition. In handing down the punishment the panel have gone on record to say the breach was so severe as to be only 1 notch down from match fixing – therefore they impose a fine and 1 year transfer embargo in thinly veiled attempt, perversely enough, to HELP Rangers avoid the more severe sanction of suspension or expulsion from the association.
The Peepil, led by Sally and Sandy demand publicly to know who the panel are, despite already knowing or at least having the ability to find out privately who they are, thereby starting a campaign amongst the “lunatic fringe” (sic) to out the independent panel members for “ruining their club” (no seriously no laughing!) resulting in threats of violence being made against them. Punishment thus far handed out to The Peepil for this affront to decency? Nothing.
The Peepil, this time led by Sandy alone march on Hampden to protest against the “severity” of the punishment imposed – this I have no problem with as free speech is a democratic right in Scotland. Furthermore Sandy issues thinly veiled threats to other member clubs that The Peepil will impose sanctions of their own if they do not come out in support of The Peepil, despite all their gross and continual flouting of the laws of the game. This is intimidation pure and simple. Sanctions imposed for this? None.
The Peepil, this time led by Duff & Phelps appeal the original decision to another independent panel who’s names are made public in advance because of the prior actions of Sally (above) – appeal is duly turned down. That should be the end of it right? Wrong, because this is The Peepil not an ordinary club.
The Peepil appeal to the CoS. This contravenes SFA, UEFA and FIFA rules. FIFA warn the SFA that the appeal must be withdrawn or else, but no they simply do not understand that The Peepil are not like any other club. Appeal won by The Peepil, cue mass celebration down Govan way. But wait, if the CoS has sent the case back to the SFA to impose sanctions that fall under its remit this can only mean one thing can’t it? The panel has already gone on record to say that the only sanctions suitable would be to suspend The Peepil from the SFA, which is why they didn’t originally do so because it would have been “too harsh” on The Peepil. What happens ordinarily when an appeal is heard but turned down? Well in normal circumstances the original punishment is increased, ergo they must now be expelled for the good of the SFA.
But they are The Peepil, so I won’t be holding my breath.
So will the SPL in the next season have just 11 teams or is there some mechanism to promote Dundee or keep Dunfermline?
CE says:
30/05/2012 at 2:06 am
—————————–
It is comedy gold, CE.
Part way through the glossy CVA stuff and also in Mr Charles’ brochure to his many dozens of exotic investors, there is talk of the UEFA 5 star (it’s 3 star actually) Ibrox Stadium and the training ground (Lumley Park I think it is called) worth a combined £113M.
Way to the back of the CVA proposal is hidden the words that in the event of liquidation, Diouf & Defer have already agreed with Mr Charles to sell him those two assets for a figure of £5.5M (i.e. a sum £108M below the above value but strangely equivalent to the D&D fees).
Whether they are able to do so I very much doubt and I would have thought both HMRC and Ticketus would share my view. I defer to insolvency experts (Allwhyteontheknight etc) but in a liquidation, I would have thought that both of those real estate assets would have to be sold to the highest bidder and I have no doubt other spivs and speculators of the Mr Charles’ type would now jump in to try and grab Lumley Park at least. (If he gets the club but not Ibrox, Mr Charles in a fit of pique could move the club to another ground – Cathkin?)
LORD GLENNIE
Incidentally, in a post last night I may have mistakenly given the impression that Lord Glennie was someone who wanted to take us back to the 19th century.
Having slept on it, I know realise that he is a genius; albeit at the prompting of the accused, he has determined that the SFA were actually too light in their punishment; it was not open to them to go easy on ra Gers and he has sent the appeal back to Lord Carloway to impose the proper sanction, i.e. suspension from the SFA.
Given the hardening attitude against RFC(IA) in Scottish football reported by the excellent Jim Spence this morning, I am now confident that the SFA will waste no time reconvening Lord Carloway and his two cohorts to administer the correct punishment.
Someone remind me of the names of the original panel again – they are the ones who by their tawdry leniency in the first place have brought Scottish football in disrepute.
Take them down
54 (p in the £) to 0
MIdlothian_Celt says:
30/05/2012 at 5:37 am
1 0 Rate This
why can’t i post except for one-liners like this?
————————-
WordPress can get a bit erratic. It’s not a glitch-free. There’s also traffic to consider and that the site may be reaching its GB limit? Just a thought.
If it’s a vital, game-changing post probably best to author and save it in another application then copy and paste.
Just heard Jim Spence on Radio Scotland refer to the court verdict as a pyrrhic victory. bit unfair on Rangers – how will Rangers fans know what that means!
Are the police investigating the EBT payment to Souness as this stinks of corruption?
* not a glitch-free setup or hosting solution
paulmac says:
30/05/2012 at 12:05 am
20 1 Rate This
Lord Wobbly says:
29/05/2012 at 10:49 pm
Frank Galvin says:
29/05/2012 at 10:40 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m pretty sure the existing fine was already at the maximum
level. Expulsion is unlikely (although it would be entirely
deserved). That leaves a cup ban or suspension from the league.
Since a cup ban would likely be beneficial to their league
campaign, imho it has to be a suspension from the league.
Thoughts?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I too have thought about the possibles…
The fine is at its maximum…they have already stated expulsion
was to heavy a punishment…
Leaving us with suspension…here is the rub…how do you
suspend them from the league?…and expect them to return?…
who takes their place?…what division do they return into?…who drops out to let them back in?..does a league run with a team short to accomodate them?
Therefore I believe they will be suspended from both cup
competitions…thus removing another 2 revenue streams from
next season.
Although I still believe…the SFA should have the baws to force
rangers hand by providing them with the rock or a hard
place….withdraw from the civil court decision and accept the
original decision or face possible expulsion…
Then lets see who has the albert halls to play this game of dare.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See my question posted at 11:00 pm…
Lord Wobbly says:
29/05/2012 at 11:00 pm
So Rangers are suspended. Another club (Dundee?) take their
place. Season runs it’s course and a team is relegated and another promoted. Rangers suspension expires.
Where do they go?
(lets assume they still exist)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Banning them from cups will actually help their league campaign. That’s no punishment at all.
Expulsion would be the cleanest and most deserved sanction but is unlikely. Nobody wants to be the one to deliver the final blow.
Suspension requires a mechanism to facilitate a return. League reconstruction?
Of course, all of this may be academic as it assumes the club survives. If a newco appears, it must be made to apply to join the SFL and, if accepted, start life in division three. Have I mentioned that before?
When the SFA make their press statement today will they announce that Craig White has paid his fine for his punishment from the tribunal?
slimshady61 says:
30/05/2012 at 7:33 am
Slim I’d argue that the SFA have to impose an even harsher penalty on The Peepil now as they were stupid enough to take this to the CoS in contravention of the rules of all football governing bodies worldwide.
A selection of headlines lifted from Newsnow. I just thought it was an accurate summing up of Rangers fans not getting it.
FIFA may yet act to eject Rangers: Governing body monitoring
SFA action
Daily Mail – Rangers 00:43
FIFA tell SFA to get tough as Gers win court battle
Daily and Sunday Express – Scottish News 00:12
Rangers administration: creditors set to lose 90% of their cash
The Scotsman – Scotland 00:10
McCoist is cautiously optimistic
Telegraph.co.uk – SPL 00:02
Tab Tales
1] Dingwall calls for SFA resignations – it was all their fault you see
2] FIFA will throw Scotland out of CL and International Game because of SFA
Nothing [as yet] on CVA / newthing / Tax Avoidance / EBT Scandal / no money or Campbell Ogilvie]
If the SFA grow a pair and suspend RFC(IA) and they then go into liquidation, what happens to their share. Does it stop being transferable. I still have concerns that the original plan to form a New Club and transfer the share will be attempted.
Can someone please explain in simple terms (as I’m really struggling with the sense of this) how a CVA pot can be somewhere in the region of £8.5m when rangers (in administration) can be reasonably expected to bring in £12-16m plus solely from the sale of season tickets for year 2012-13. I fear that the SPL, having confirmed that the club can get away with pretty much anything without fear of being kicked out, has proven itself corrupt so they cannot have any complaint if/when a corrupt individual/consortium comes in to play on that lunacy. Even worse would be agreement on a CVA (surely not!) and then, lo and behold, a few guys come in with a few million and, for many years of cheating, they’ll have a single season of relative pain,
My trouble all along is that the club has the ability to pay their dues – even if it is up to £134m. All it would mean is them cutting down appropriately to be very profitable (as we know the fans won’t walk away) with upwards of £10m per year going toward their debts. I wouldn’t have any issue with the generosity of something like a line being drawn in the sand on a given date for the debts to stop accruing interest and charges if that type of agreement were to be reached. The rangers (in administration) supporters just won’t be able to stomach being on a par with the wee teams in the league.
New blog up ..
FIFA will today begin to turn the heat on the Hampden
hierarchy and if our whole game faces a beating then the
threat of expulsion of Rangers will truly come into play.
http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/4345788/Hampden-chiefs-summit-today.html
Real leadership would be the SFA doing the following:
Suspend Rangers for a defined period to allow all investigations to run their course and to show the SPL, member clubs and UEFA that the SFA is the governing body in Scotland whilst placing Ogilvie on garden leave to protect their integrity due to potential confilcts of interest.
FIFA threatend to ban all Swiss teams from International competition over the Sion affair, inc. the Olympics!
Team GB watch out!!!
Christ how many million will Beckhams Underwear deal loose out on? . . . . . . Another creditor for RFCia or will the Underpance tycoons come for the SFA?
If RFC(IA) were suspended for one year this could theoretically be accommodated by promoting Dundee then puting in place provision for teams to be relegated and one team promoted from the first division at the end of the season
This would knock on down the league with one new team entering Div III
Since it is highly likely that further revelations will lead to RFC(IA) being expelled during the next 12 months two teams would end up being promoted from Division I none relegated from Div III
oops …………… puting in place provision for two teams to be relegated and one team promoted from the first division at the end of the season
Good Morning.
A lot to consider over the next hours. In all the furore over the Court case it is easy to be deflected from an equally shambolic situation.
And that is D&P and the CVA.
What have they been doing since 14th February? Here we have a CVA with 47/48 To Be Confirmed posts. How can creditors be expected to vote on something that has an indeterminate figure on it?
This is a disgrace. Perhaps Derek could confirm but I am aware that as a Liquidator you get in touch with the Creditor and ask how much you consider that you are owed, in order to compare and verify the amount which is outstanding on your books.
In addition, either at that time or later, you can deliver a letter to the creditor advising them that, for example they are owed £50 and in the event that you receive no reply by a certain date then that is the amount which will be adjudicated as owing to the creditor.
I have not had the time to look up the regulations but I would assume that an administrator has a similar power.
Given that this is the situation there is absolutely no need to be vague or uncertain about how much is owing to a creditor.
Of even greater concern is the position of how much is owing to the secured creditor. This should be known to D&P they have the power to question the secured credit holder and in the event that he doesn’t cooperate they can go to their favourite place, the Court, and get it clarified.
The situation is shameful and shows either a lack of basic knowledge of procedure or perhaps more sinisterly a wilful disregard of the rules in pursuit of a pre-determined agenda.
It is surely time for D&P to be challenged in Court.
As for the other matter it is now beyond comprehension that the SFA will be seen to do nothing. Self preservation is the first instinct of human survival. – Do the right thing or die.
New thread by RTC
https://rangerstaxcase.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/a-permanent-embarrassment-and-an-occasional-disgrace/#comments
The CVA is doomed. TCH Law on NNS gently ripped it to shreds for the layman. HMRC & Ticketus (been quiet of late dontcha think?) will reject it and liquidate & litigate respectively.
The punishment farrago between CoS & SFA is interesting but if it’s likely to be a newco/new club I can see any SFA decision on this being pushed back post CVA cooling off period. For what it is worth I think SFA would threaten to suspend membership for 1 year unless court action withdrawn and RFC(IA) accept transfer embargo. All a bit pointless if they don’t exist.
So to my mind, this puts SPL meeting today front and centre as the only Scottish football forum able to deliver sanctions against a Rangers company that will exist/play next season.
What is proposed is too lenient for such an obvious Phoenix company & I would hope stronger counter proposals are made from the floor of the meeting.
I don’t hold out much hope & I am moving, reluctantly, so very reluctantly, towards accepting RFC(IA) are going to pretty much get away with it.
It’s a decision that will also kill the game in Scotland as I and am sure many, many others will not buy the product.
stunney says:
30/05/2012 at 6:03 am
Is this site now some sort of place to post your wildest fantasies? I thought it was a place to look at the facts honestly, in contrast to most posters on the RFC sites.
In lieu of the SFA making a direct statement, it looks like a few discreet phonecalls have resulted in former president John McBeth laying the ground for what must surely follow…
”Football would survive without Rangers, maybe not at the same level, and the game would may be lose some fans – but so be it,” he said to the BBC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/scottish-premier
For those enquiring about Stuart Gilmour’s comments today: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-18261343
Delighted to see him finally talking some sense and criticising DeadClub in public.
I would love it(in the style of Keggy Keegan), if the CoS ‘victory’ was the straw that broke the camels back for the SPL chairmen currently limbo dancing to DeadClub’s beat.
Haudit and Daudit in delayed timetable shocker? As some posters have already alluded to, I believe Doomcaster and Green where fully expecting the SPL chairmen to help them deploy the parachute today, so good on them for not doing so.
Have to agree with Scapa, far too much foaming at the mouth about the governing bodies on here over the last few days. The abhorrent behaviour of the Lunatic Core at RFC(IA) has truly left them between a rock and a vigilante hate mob. Let’s not forget the true criminals in all of this.
Wish I’d thought of this while people were actually reading this thread, but it has just ocurred to me that even when congratulating RTC on winning such a prestigious award as the Orwell, it is necessary to regret that a blog of an entirely Scottish and sporting nature has not been recognised by any Scottish award.
Why, it’s not even eligible for a Scottish Press Award after the qualification rules were changed last year.
Well done, MSM, once again.
Do we need our own list?
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomchiversscience/100162004/a-banned-words-list-for-our-commenters/
James Doleman
“where have the 5 stars went” 🙂