Celtic have challenged the Scottish football authorities on the feeble punishment handed out to Rangers for 11 years of cheating.
During that period of fielding players that they couldn’t ordinarily afford the Ibrox side ‘clinched’ five titles denying Celtic the opportunity of enjoying the riches of the Champions League.
This season’s Celtic can expect to take in £20m plus from European football with the Nimmo Smith enquiry handing out a fine equivalent to less than £25,000 per season.
Tonight’s Celtic statement read: “We note yesterday´s decision that Rangers FC has been found guilty of contravening the SPL rules on disclosure of payments over 11 years between 2000-2011.
“The scale of this amounts to a deliberate non-disclosure of £47 million in payments to players and staff. We also note the penalty of £250,000 which has been imposed.
“Like many within Scottish football, including supporters and other observers, we are surprised by the parallel conclusion that no competitive advantage was gained from these arrangements.
“However, the implications of this verdict are for the Scottish football authorities to address since the rules breached were specifically intended to defend “sporting integrity”.
The Celtic statement added: “Our Club is in a great place at the moment and we are enjoying a fantastic season, maintaining our position at the top of Scottish football and enjoying huge success and profile across European football.
“We ask our fans to unite with us once again as we look ahead to the rest of the season, to the Scottish Cup on Saturday, to the UEFA Champions League next week and to an exciting future with a young squad of high quality players and a talented manager in Neil Lennon.
“Our fans have been magnificent this season, home and away, and as we head towards the end of the season, now, more than ever, we need our fans to be with us and to back the team and the Club. We sincerely thank our fans for their continued support.”
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Monti, that patter is not wanted.
(It has been deleted- Ed)
Agreed Thomas,like everybody else I was raging last night & wine was flowing,I’m happy you deleted my post,i let myself down with that.
Fair play to you Monti,i have similar political views myself but thats a whole other debate HH
I am hoping this comment by our club is a pretext by them before demanding some action to be taken,might be wishfull thinking but you never no.
Starofstein67 Thanks for the heads up regarding auldheids comment on TSFM,i just get the feeling the wheels are starting to turn and fans are realizing the power we have,as other people have pointed out huns would be in div 1 or higher if it had not been for a fans backlash against it
Mark The boycott i envisage if organised and big enough would only take a couple of mathces to force their hand,imagine 3 or four mathces on two weekends with hardly anybody in those grounds,it would make it financialy unviable and the MONEYMEN that run the show would have to act,the chance is there for us and others we just have to beleive in ourselves and we shall overcome!
BTW I started going to games when liam brady was manager and stuck with ma team through all the shite that was to follow up until Tommy Burns became manager and gave us back our pride and a team that was a joy to watch at times,I dont want to hurt celtic by boycotting but if there has to be short term loss to force this seismic change then thats something i think we should do,imagine being known throughout history as the generation of supporters who brought about that change,it could be massive mate we just have to stick to our guns and engage other willing supporters groups aswell HH
Starofstein67 Thanks for the heads up regarding auldheids comment on TSFM,i just get the feeling the wheels are starting to turn and fans are realizing the power we have,as other people have pointed out huns would be in div 1 or higher if it had not been for a fans backlash against it
Aye this is now the perfect time while emotions are still running high, it requires some inteligent and influential leaders from various fans groups etc to step forward and guide everyone in the correct procedures and acts that need to be put into practice for this to materialise and have any affect, otherwise if nobody takes the lead then it will be something else down the line in a few months time that will piss us all of again and we will be back at a similar junction kicking ourselves that we never took theis opportunity to challenge the footballing authorities/media etc for these recent shenanigans.
The flexing of fans muscles last year intimidated those in positions of authority, this time around thou I feel the anger, frustration and distrust is on a completely different level where fans of all clubs are now undecided whether to walk away from the game they so disgusted and feel cheated and let down but at same time sizzling with anger prepared for challenging for the sake of our game not going down the swanny at the expense of giving the establishment club consistent unfair advantages and positive PR.
Time a Stance was taking.
Viva Revolution
I cannot believe my eyes ,I was on another site last night and they actually think by winning the bottom division they are adding to there total and it will become 55..there total at present is zero,I never thought i would say this because we are in Scotland and unfortunately have to play here but people on here are right ..Now is the time to get out of this corrupt set up once and for all..where we go ,well i think anywhere would be better than this sham
If that is to be Celtic’s last words/actions on this then my fears are confirmed! The PLC want The Rangers! The only defense I have heard for that decision would be that this is infact their legal obligation to shareholders! Surely the people who run our club also have a legal responsibility to ensure that any commercial loses incurred during the years of cheating are brought to a more satisfactory conclusion! I’m not sure what financial compensations could be gained from a liquidated club but surely those who were governing our game at the time must take that responsibility!
If that is to be Celtic’s last words/actions on this then my fears are confirmed!………..can you honestly not see what’s wrong with that sentence?
Do you honestly consider your ‘if’ to be some kind of ‘confirmation’ of something or other?
Celtic have made a measured statement of intent making it quite plain that this is not the end of the matter, I think some folk want some kind of leggo rant from Celtic!!
Our legal team will be all over this.
On another note, Challs says the SPL is a ‘tarnished brand’.
Brass necks and blow torches spring to mind!
And (lol)
I hope big Peter is taking notes from challs on how to handle the SFA in future………..call them cheating lying THIEVING drunkards!
It worked for challs.
I have written to Celtic FC and stated my position as a fan / shareholder that I await the SPL meeting for final decision. If they agree to accept LNS findings then I walk away never to contribute another thin dime to MY club via Tickets/shares/merchandise/Celtic Pools/ Celtic View etc.
This meeting should be fully transparent and each clubs vote should be made public to allow ALL fans to know who finds corruption acceptable.
From this meeting we should also be looking at hosting our own TV deal so we are not at the mercy of SKY. The fans ARE the lifeblood of the game, not TV – This is their LAST chance to save Scottish Football.
Good on you,if everybody acted in that manner it would force their hand and maybe we could get a fair go in this URINE SOAKED HELL HOLE!
The fans are the lifeblood no TV to true Wiliebhoy
DITTO! I have written asking that they lodge a protest, and launch a vote of no confidence in both the board members of the SPL AND the SFA. I have further asked that they refuse to acknowledge both organisations as our governing bodies on the grounds that they are not fit for purpose.
I will continue to support Celtic through any means, and have made a round trip of almost 2000 miles to be at the game today.
I intend to contact all SPL clubs, withdrawing my future involvment, as a paying fan, to game not founded on equality. And likewise, ask that they lodge protests. Any email/contact numbers appreciated.
I want Lawwell or Desmond to flex muscle here,I want them to tender our resignation.
If we were to finally play in another league it would be a euro league for me,The english ESTABLISHMENT and scottish ESTABLISHMENT are one and the same,we would get more of the same treatment down there
Anyway onward and upward hopefully, mabe ” the times are a changing”
I tweeted Thursday morning that I expected titles to be stripped & justice to be done but recalled that Lord Hutton had found David Kelly’s death to be suicide.
There are times when it is expedient for justice to start with a conclusion & find evidence that supports it. We may have just witnessed an example of this.
It seems Sandy Bryson’s evidence was significantly relied upon regarding the issue of sporting advantage. A judge in an inquiry should question evidence that seems at odds with reason or logic.
It’s hard to comprehend that such an eminent enquiring mind would not see a clear contradiction in breaking rules on registration allowing £47m to be spent on players otherwise not affordable. Similar to a fine of £250,000 to be levied against a dead entity who made huge financial gains from 11 years of proven rule breaking.
Players were registered with the SFA and their sanction for an undated registration form is the clubs expulsion from the tournament, yet the inquiry was held by the SPL who have no rules regarding improper registration.
Taken as a one off decision the LNS outcome looks odd to say the least.
However when read with others in my opinion a pattern emerges.
We have sevco trading as rangers, using the same name, logo & premises as the entity liquidated owing taxpayers millions, contrary to insolvency law.
We saw Neil Lennon attacked and the man who admitted guilt found not guilty in court.
Lennon was the only person punished after the shame game.
Lord Hodge allowed a potentially conflicted Duff & Phelps to administer rangers during administration (have they submitted their report on this to Lord Hodge yet?)
The SFA allowed sevco a football licence even though they did not meet the criterion (which will keep them out of European football) and the SPL tried to have them immediately re-instated.
Scotland is a strange country. Alex Thomson has found to his dismay how parochial it is.
I echo his sentiment on the whole affair ‘perverse’
Surely Lawwell and the Celtic board are consulting with ‘appropriate lawyers and accountants’ to do a ‘Rangers’ to ensure 20 or 25 in a row. Forget about complaining or moaning, it is over.
However a precedent has been set. Don’t pay tax until you absolutely have to, employ every tax avoidance sceme going but maintain a slush fund to avoid administration/liquidation. 10 million quid will cover it.
Take the extra millions to buy and pay for players, take the points deduction every season as punishment or the 250,000 fine. Chuckles will do the same. They cannot touch you. The judgement has been made. Pay your local suppliers but don’t pay the government. Celtic can get away with it, why not.
i was reading up on nemmo the demo case in the 90s there was the scandal of the magic circle where juges were sleeping with crooks so theyd get of at court nemmo was brought in someone taped him next minuite he had to seek phsyciatric help then he dropped the case although there was plenty of evedience agains the other ones involved i ask you was he fit for this case years later ann