An uncomfortable Alex McLeish was put in the EBT firing line as he previewed Sunday’s Hearts v Hibs derby for ESPN.
The broadcaster had brought McLeish and Joe Jordan together to preview the meeting of the clubs that they used to manage but the Rangers crisis was brought up.
A BBC documentary in May claimed that £1.7m had been paid into an EBT for McLeish during his four and a half years at Ibrox.
Two SPL titles won during that period could be removed from the record books with McLeish uncomfortable while being questioned on the matter.
“The stripping of titles is a non-starter,” he reponded. “I know it’s been mooted, but personally, I don’t think that it should go against Rangers.
“I was at the club at the time and had lawyers who looked at the contracts and everything was okayed. It’s not something I’m particularly comfortable about discussing.
“There was no cloak and dagger stuff. My lawyer looked at it and it was the type of contract that you know that going to a club like Rangers or Celtic, you would be expecting.
“I reduced the wages by half, so I’m not guilty of bringing any players in at top prices. It was in my era at Rangers it was about the opposite – I was working with the club to reduce the costs and wages and at the same time keeping the competitive edge, which we did.”
The BBC documentary claimed that Dado Prso, Nacho Novo, Alex Rae, Dan Eggen, Egil Ostenstad, Gavin Rae, Federico Nieto, Gregory Vignal, Jean-Alain Boumsong and others received payments through EBT’s.
Boumsong has spoken out about how he felt uncomfortable with a contract that paid him an element of his wages tax free with £630,000 paid to an EBT before he was sold to Graeme Souness at Newcastle for an £8m profit six months after joining Rangers.
David Murray introduced EBT’s to the club with his former manager defending the role of the former Ibrox owner.
McLeish added: “David is a businessman, a succesful businessman, and he had a dream of Rangers winning the European Cup- he tried everything in his power to do that.”
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The last bit there “tried everything ” yes eck he did including cheating ya big mug. hail hail
Stripping of titles is a non-starter has someone told these cheats they get their choice of punishments.
Jail time some of these cheats need.
Well done ESPN EBTs have just about killed the game in Scotland and you have one of EBTs biggest recipients to promote your product. Only in Scotland.
As I’ve said elsewhere, removal of titles will be a CONSEQUENCE of the unregistered EBT’s not a punishment. The punishment will follow on from there.
Whilst Eck and his lawyer may well have believed the payments were above board that doesn’t mean they are.
If the club fails to include these in the contracts registered with the SFA/SPL then you cheated.
If they didn’t pay the tax on them then they will be done by HMRC.
It’s quite simple Eck, why can’t you grasp it?
Hav’nt heard so much fluff talk. since i watched the muppets.murray sucessful .yeah so was nick leeson.and his lawyers ok’d yeah no conflict of comission there opp’s meant interest.as for bringing celtic into the dirty dirty world of the former club from glasgow.your thinking if you throw enough mud some will stick.thankfully there are professional journalist’s out there who investigate and do there job’s properly unlike those who work for the record and sun.and trained at the jim henson school of journalism.HH
Accordong to BBC figures Mcleish signed 32 players with EBTs, (Advocaat signed 17). Of the 32, the BBC say they have actually seen side letters (double contracts) for 26, including side letters for Prso (1.9 MILLION), Ferguson (2.5 MILLION), Nerlinger (1.8 MILLION), Buffel (1.2 MILLION), Muscat (1 MILLION) and Novo (1.2 MILLION.
The BBC also claim to have seen a side letter for McLeishs 1.7 EBT.
McLiesh, according to the BEEB, is by far the worst users/abusers of the EBT system at the bigotdome.
One of the first rules in law is ‘ignorance is no excuse’.
If everyone just turned up in court and said ‘I didn’t know it was wrong’ or ‘he told me it was alright’, and it was accepted, there would be alot of empty prisons all over the UK.
Got to laugh, taking titles away is a non-starter says WHO ? Not anyone who matters.
Reduced the wage bill by half…Yes by putting payments onto the EBT Scheme and not declaring them to the Tax / SFA.
Your lawyer is a tax expert then Alex, didn’t think so…will you also be giving Hector from HMRC a right hander when he chaps on your door for the tax due ??
once again the same question to Rocky McLeish as was to Sir Minty yesterday.
DID YOU PAY “ANY” TAX ON THE 1.7MILLION YOU RECEIVED FROM THE EBT?
If NOT…. Do you plan to pay this tax or repay the “LOAN” Back to whomever now holds the contract for said “LOAN”
Thank-you
TheCelticWay.net
Taking titles away that were illegally “won” really doesn’t matter, does it?
The facts are that the world now knows that old club which used to be called rangers cheated. They cheated to win cups, leagues, and lose a few too, but most of all, they have cheated outside of small minded scotland too. tjhis was probably their biggest arrogance that killed them off. Stealing players from teams then not paying the clubs they bought from was arrogant to say the least. ibrox has been corrupt for years. People have been involved who shouldn’t have been. You only have to look at cetrain referees, like the one who shares a name with a city in the USA. They are corrupt to the core and the fans have every right to be angry. they are angry at their old club that used to be called ranmgers even though they try to be angry at everyone else. Taking the titles back means nothing to me. The continued exposure of their corruption is far better.
The reality is that the EBT’S was so endemeic @ Rankers it was the natural thing to do. Continue on as planned. keep cheating eck nobody will find out. It has finally came up & bit them in the ARSE, but they are still in denial. Their day’s are numbered. HAIL HAIL.
Joe,
Removal of, or taking back these titles is absolutey necessary, it would constitute maximum and continued exposure to a far greater audience, even though Fifa and Eufa seem reluctant to become involved, titles being removed would ensure global exposure, now that is whats needed.
How much did Souness pocket from the Boumsong transfer scam?
YOU ARE MY HUN FINE
+++++++++++++++++++
They ur ma medals
Ma only medals
They made me happy
When I played in blue
Ah hud nae idea
That we wur cheetin’
Please don’t take ma medals away.
It’s worthwhile remembering that thems appeal against HMRC (yes wattie, you have infact already been proven guilty!), has t the square route of hee-haw to do with Uefa & Fifa rules concerning side letter/double contracts.
It could be, though highly improbable, that they win their appeal, but that does not make EBTs legal within the rules of football, or visa versa for that matter.
This is something the LL are already making noises about and something the SFA would certainly use as a blag to get the currants of the hook, but it’s a complete red herring.
There cannot be “STRIPPING” of trophies, they would simply become VOID and 3-0 victories to the opposition are AUTOMATICALLY registered for all games where ineligible players competed. No individual person or group of people can decide this, it is already set in the rules. There is no discussion or debate, they are simply the rules that apply to every Pro Club under UEFA and FIFA.
I don’t think I know of any competition, sport or otherwise, where if the winner is disqualified or a correction made (Team GBs Gymastics bronze), for any reason, the medal, cup….whatever, isn’t awarded to the runner-up.
surely if any club is found guilty of fielding players not properly registered it means that every competiton the player played in was a breach of the laws of the game,league,international,european or any other game so UEFA must and will get involved when guilt is proven,this is why the SFA are brickin it as they allowed it to happen for 10 years so the s*** is about to hit the fan big time,and not before time,,HH
Rangers fans groups, Murray and now McLiesh are getting ample press on the subjec of EBT’s. A few basic questions to these parties would surely quiet them down and allow independent judgement of any wrongdoing without being perceived to be using trial be media which is something they claim themselves would as harmed Rangers case for the defense. Well the. are certainly getting their chance to speak unchallenged now with Murray holding court as usual, fans group trying to bring Celtic into it as the often do and McLeish coming up with points that hardly relate to the charge positively.
Murray is happy for Whyte to face punishment for not paying tax. But let’s just all agree Rangers have had it tough and sweep he investigation into his tenure under the carpet.
Fans groups want Celtic investigated for Juninhos ebt. EBT’s are not illegal. How you use them can be. Ultimately the judge of that is wether you paid the tax the the scheme was designed to avoid. Celtic paid the tax. Not much to answer there.
For McLeish. I am sure you are uncomfortable. You are obviously wel aware of the scheme and someone has already made the point regarding who you could buy and what you can if you aren’t paying full tax. Hi lawyer might have been ok with his contrac but why not ask about due contrac fr his players. If he is trying to. sign a gu on 15k a week and could afford him she the crunched the numbers, did it never come up that an ebt and dual contract could see the deal through?
If the ebt scheme was legit then why the need for a side contract the didn’t get submitted to the SFA?
If the BBC have see the 29 odd dual contract I don’t even think we need to go an further and wait for a ruling in the validity if EBts.
“It’s the type of contract you get when going to clubs like Celtic or Rangers” eh…well…no,not really.Why is he trying to compare/involve Celtic into their tax dodging scams?
He’s like a child being caught who tries to blame someone else just to deflect the heat from him.