Even just a year ago the words employee, benefit and trust placed together meant little to Scottish football fans outwith a small clutch of obsessive internet bampots.
Today, EBT, is as widely known as SFA, SPL, UEFA and FIFA.
Taxation experts can be found on message boards, blogs, twitter, radio phone-in’s and even newspapers.
With the axe set to fall on the way that Rangers operated their EBT scheme for over a decade Charles Green has launched a fully fledged ‘they-did-it-too’ campaign through his most obedient cheerleaders.
They-did-it-too is a variation of ‘but what about them’ which amounts to denial rather than facing up to your own problems.
As David Murray and many others have repeatedly stated EBT’s were not illegal. How you operated them is what HMRC are interested in while the football authorities wish to know if they were included in player contracts.
Unfortunately for Rangers it’s a lose lose case. If they operated their EBT scheme correctly, making discretionary and bonus payments only then those payments couldn’t be listed in player contracts. If players were getting paid outwith their contracts it amounts to dual contracts as Lord Nimmo Smith is now investigating.
If the EBT payments were included in player contracts then they weren’t discretionary which is why HMRC are on the case.
Rather than look into how one individual was able to run the second largest institution in Scotland into liquidation it appears that an EBT to a player who spent less than a season at Celtic is the centre of attention.
Celtic inherited Juninho’s EBT when he arrived from Middlesbrough. Presumably all details were included in the copy of the contracts Celtic provided to the SFA and SPL.
With Brian Quinn on board rather than taking advise from Paul Baxendale-Walker this is the only instance recorded in Celtic’s annual audited accounts of an EBT being used by the club.
As the porn star and tax wizard Baxendale Walker declared to the BBC: ”The problem as we all know is how Rangers implemented the structure, how they drove the bus.
“But then again it’s only a problem if HMRC win. If HMRC don’t win, then hopefully you’re going to come back and say Paul, all the Rangers fans in this country want to thank you because you single-handedly saved Rangers FC £50m. You’re a hero.”
While Rangers fans point the finger at Celtic their new leader, Green, continues to forget promises made on an almost weekly basis.
Little is known of his backers, claims of three billionaire investors have fallen by the wayside along with Mike Ashley’s shareholding and a share issue to supporters.
Once the SPL and HMRC have delivered their EBT verdict the only likely outcome is that the blame will be shifted elsewhere with Celtic the likely target as the real villains of Ibrox slip off under the radar.
CLICK HERE for former SPL chief answers back at Green
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You understand EBTs I understand EBTs Joe, it’s one almighty leap of faith to think any journalists or sevcovian will want to understand them.
Like any other spoilt child or cheat for that matter they always say don’t blame me they done it as well.
The mentality of Scotlands Shame and press are unbelievable in this country, I suppose we can excuse the press and media to an extent as they don’t want to become targets.
Getting back to celtics EBT why doesn’t Peter Lawwell hand it over to an independent commitee to investigate and we’ll see if others follow follow suit.
All I know if my club had cheated in any way I’d expect and accept punishment others will never accept any sort of punishment or blame. I believe we as a club and support should remove ourselves from the Scottish game and move on.
I hope never ever to see the Sevcoians darken our door again.
The SFA have said they have looked at Celtic and payments to Juninho and they say there is no case to answer…. This is whataboutery at its most pure. Look to your own problems Sevco, not tar others with your brush (which you probably haven’t paid for).
Celtic should nip this in the bud right away.Call a press conference and provide everyone present copies of juninhos contract and proof of any payment made to him through an EBT and payments then made to HMRC, then ask every other Scottish club from Govan to do the same with their players on EBT’s !!
Are you all nuts?
The SFA have already stated publicly that Celtic have no case to answer since their EBT was disclosed and perfectly legal.
Sit back and enjoy the roast Bhoys. You are starting to sound as paranoid as they are. When you have nothing to hide, there is no need to keep repeating it.
Proving it once was adequate. It is a closed book.
These Sevcovians and media are thick mince the SFA/SPL decision has made no differance according to press reports today. The media are quite happy to believe any old propaganda spun by SFA/SPL when it concerns Sevco. We are certinly not treated with the same sycophant attitude.
So get the evidence out prove to the world we’ve not cheat, don’t leave any doubt in anyone’s mind, let’s see if Sevco do the same. Play Chic Green at his own game.
Better still ban the media from Celtic park for good with there made up crap.
Call their bluff in front of all their media apologists
I’m afraid there is a need to continue repeating it Joe when you have certain national newspapers misrepresenting the facts which is fuelling the unjustified sense of victim-hood felt by the now sevco fans.
Today one rag in particular have falsely claimed that the only reason Celtic are not facing action over Juninho’s EBT is because it was paid after he left the club.
This is utter nonsense, the timing of payments made to Juninho is entirely irrelevant, the reason Celtic won’t face any action is because they registered the player in the proper manner and followed the correct processes laid down by the SFA regarding disclosure of all payments that would be made to the player at the time of his registration. Something that oldco R*ngers did not do.
This smacks of deliberate rabble rousing of the sevco fans by a particular newspaper, most likely in an attempt to heap pressure on those who will soon sit on the independent panel which will rule over oldco R*ngers use of EBT’s.
So until they start printing the truth we will keep on repeating it.
We all know in this bigoted land one thing and one thing only sells Mankie rags and that is anti Celtic stories.
So don’t think about buying a Mankie rag they chose the side to support and the side to oppress.
God Bless Brian Quinn, his astuteness has saved the Hoops from being guilty of any wrongdoing
God bless Mr Baxendale-Walker, his salesmanship has singlehandedly destroyed the Embarressment, sorry Establishment club.
And god bless the Green and Whyte for helping out Ra Peepil
Hail Hail to that.
The most disturbing thing about this is that a national ‘newspaper’ would deliberately tell lies to wind up a bunch of deranged, dangerous half-wits.
There lies the real Scotland’s shame.
This country wont move on till the bigots are confronted by all.
“…Gers fans were outraged on Wednesday when the SPL said Celtic were in the clear over Juninho while the Ibrox club were still in the dock…” ~ Daily Record
This is WHY most Rangers fans haven’t a clue about why their old club has been liquidated. When the straight facts and truths come from Celtic/Other teams’ fans they simply see it as jealousy or most recently… bigotry (gotta love the irony). Fuelled by piss poor reporting and Charles Green deploying rabble raising rhetoric to stop his wee venture going bump even the most level headed Rangers fan has little chance of understanding the difference between Juninho’s EBT and Rangers’ wage policy.
“Aye but… Aye But…” from them will culminate in exactly what happened with Craig Whyte. We’ll all get to say “Told you so” at some point down the line!!
i know this is going off tack, but is it possible. sir alex ferguson could be one of rangers mystery backers.
As is said the ibrokes game is over,Denial denial. The truth will prevail. Hail Hail.
We won’t need to wait for the mystery backers to be revealed…..they won’t be in business long enough anyway. After the FTT is announced, then the EBT’s decision is made…Green and the rest of his far east cronies will run for the hills claiming they have been stabbed in the back. No doubt blaming unseen forces at the SFA / SPL for the sorry mess…which has “nothing to do with him” yet he claims some now defunct clubs titles.
They are dead men walking AGAIN, I expect this time around though it will be even more difficult to sell a club. While also having the giant spectre of BDO looming large over the scene and doing forensic investigation into every detail.