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SFA licensing exposed by Dunfermline’s administrator

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Stewart Regan news

The shameful governance of Scottish football has been exposed by the administrator called in to salvage Dunfermline.

Despite the club licencing system being exposed last season by the administration of Rangers the SFA have allowed the same scenario to occur at Dunfermline casting a shadow over the entire First Division.

Like Rangers in 2011 Dunfermline were unable to provide the SFA with audited accounts. When a company can’t provide audited accounts it is the loudest alarm possible- clearly stating that no firm of accountants is prepared to risk their reputation by declaring the business as a going concern.

Fortunately for the SFA Rangers were knocked out of the Champions League and Europa League before administration visited the club keeping the spotlight of UEFA away from the Ibrox crisis.

While other clubs cut their cloth to suit their income Gavin Masterton’s Dunfermline failed to play by the rules safe in the knowledge that there would be no repercussions from the SFA for failing to provide audited accounts- until earlier this month.

If any club is unable to provide audited accounts by 30 April surely it’s in the best interest of the game to suspend that club rather than have their participation in the league threaten to turn the whole competition into a shambles?

With no chance of a return to the SPL Masterton realised the extent of his losses forcing in the administrators with a £134,000 HMRC bill waiting.

Bryan Jackson of PKF made eight first team players redundant yesterday and despite previous experience of administration at Motherwell and Dundee was shocked by the state of the finances at East End Park.

It’s the worst situation I’ve seen,” he admitted. “I’m really sorry to say- we have to try and make the best of it.

We have made cuts to the playing staff. It is never easy but needed to be done immediately. For the ones who are staying, wages will not be paid today — there is no money right now.

I’m dependent on benefactors and I’m also dependent on money coming in from the next home game.”

Jackson added: “Whether I’ll be able to pay anything towards any arrears I can’t say, but I certainly intend to pay the on-going wages. Even with the promises of cash that are coming in, it’s going to be very, very tight to keep the club going.

I will be making the usual pleas and begging supporters to come. We have to encourage them to come because we are dependent on external support.”

If Dunfermline are liquidated all results will be scrubbed with Partick Thistle losing nine points and Morton seven.

Since Dunfermline went into administration there has been no comment from Stewart Regan or Campbell Ogilvie of the SFA.

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0 comments

  • Phil toye says:

    Corruptness in lieu with The Rangers no other association would allow this to happen once never mind twice ? Our game is polluted to the core

  • Auldheid says:

    It will be interesting to see on what basis The Rangers are granted a licence for next season.
    If doubts about sustainability will conditions be set and will it be made public?
    The Rangers supporters should be watching SFA and be ready to question.

  • paranoidandroid says:

    Does anyone know of anything that, in its entire history, the SFA has done properly? (Apart from ensuring that their friends are okay and that they themselves get good perks and wages).

    I think it’s incredible that they’ve gotten away with so much incompetence and corruption for so long. Is it any surprise that Scotland don’t qualify for tournaments any more when the governing body takes no interest whatsoever in improving our football? They’re too busy looking after themselves.

  • Monti says:

    Guys how many times does it need to be said,Scottish football is terminally I’ll,Regan,Doncaster,Ogilvie & Longmuir are corrupt to the core,I watched an interview with Longmuir on tv last night,this guy is out of his depth,remember this is the same guy who quickly Reassured Sevconians,that the SFL would NOT be stripping Rangers of any League cups! this was BEFORE nimmo smiths verdict & the same guy who admitted he came from a ‘house full of Sevconians’ wtf? The game is up,the game is over……..

  • kalashz says:

    what amazes me is that sevco ever lost a league or a cup. now lets see the sfa/sfl etc bend over backwards to save the pars.

  • Tony B says:

    Impeach ralottierum!

  • Coco the clown says:

    Just as well Brian was not involved in the liquidation of rangers then if Dunfermline is the worst he has ever seen.

    How many resignations or sackings have been announced by the Sfa this week in the light of Scottish football hitting an all time low ? SFA ? Gravy train.
    Still good to know that we have got a really really good administrator at the top.

  • Coco the clown says:

    Ps i see that there is an advert for qualified accountants at the top of the page. Pmsl.

    Scottish football could do with a few and some tax accountants.

    Scottish banks failed and had to be bailed out.

    Scottish football clubs falling like nine pins.

    Anyone in government jointing the dots ? Just as well Celtic is solvent otherwise the commonwealth games would need to be cancelled. Wonder if the games would be awarded to Scotland if the decision was to be made now ?

  • Coco the clown says:

    Which gets me thinking. It’s not loads of baton wielding constables kettling 14 year old kids that we need, it’s a few brighter, but more expensive cops, investigating all the financial mess which is going on. I mean what,s more damaging to Scotland, a kid with a scarf across their face (it’s bloody cold out there) or the damage being done to the economy by people who do not appear to either be equipped to run businesses or to follow normal business rules. Compare and contrast the costs. I,m right.

  • Coco the clown says:

    And I,m really hacked off that the Jags could lose out because of the mess at Dunfermline. Ridiculous

  • mark says:

    What’s the problem here why are the pars panicking ? First thing to do is don’t pay the debt put ‘THE’ in front of your name start again in the 3rd division go to the ‘ history shop ‘ and buy back your history and tell everybody your the same club. Audited accounts Haha what are they just get a mate to say your accounts are fine nobody at the SFA will mind and just show them when you can no worries. If your still not sure phone chuckles he’ll talk you through it. Cuckoo cuckoo HH

  • mick says:

    no audited accounts no football that season implement the rules or is this another club that can do what they like no rules for them shambles

  • Andy says:

    We will no doubt be told that Dunfermline are a totally different case to Sevco

  • keni says:

    Masterton as we know basically bankrolled the loans to Murray to fund Sevco. We need to shine a very bright spotlight now on the compicit employees of the SFA who obviously for years knew and dare I say complicit in all of this. I wonder if the very reason that Regan and Doncaster were given their jobs is that they were handpicked to smooth the way for this. One wonders

    • Davie bhoy says:

      No wonder about it,they are all handpicked and working for the Hun agenda

      • keni says:

        We need a concerted effort yet again to notify UEFA and FIFA of this latest example of cronyism. In fact it’s worse than cronyism. If you think about it the SFA and SPL are basically there to get as much cash as possible..not for scottish football – but for themselves, aided and abetted by Sevco, and they in turn aiding and abetting Sevco. SUreely UEFA cannot ignore the blatant ignorance of it’s articles of association – especially when it’s trying to promote financial fair play. Here’s another thing, if you were a gambler (as so many footballers are), in this enlightened era of “financial mismanagement” and dual contracts – cheating – how big a stretch would it be to say, bet on the opposition team, the referee gives you nowt (unusual for sevco), you rake it in but still get to bleat and moan. How big a stretch would it be officiate a game, bet on the winner through a third party, and award a penalty to Sevco even though you had your back turned to the incident,…the list is endless…

        • Davie bhoy says:

          Sadly I don’t think uefa or FIFA give a flying fuck and are a bit shy on integrity themselves,been saying for a while that the only people who can change our game and how it’s run is us the fans,without the fans there is no GAME

          It would take fans from a good majority of clubs putting their differences to one side for a time and collectively withdrawing their financial input through boycotts etc,I’ve got no doubt this would work and the powers at be would have to listen,as a result we would have an opportunity to put a system in place with more input from the fans through elected fans delegates who would have a permanent positions within sfa,spl,sfl and make sure the fans have a voice

          Granted it would be a very tall order to organise such events given the divides that exist between fans in our great wee country but its the only thing that would get the MONEY men who run the game to react,withdraw our money and they will listen they would HAVE to

          It’s a real pity all this shit is happening when the hoops are very much on the ascendancy,a good young manager and squad with tons of potential but the corruption in our game is so entrenched that it leaves a bad taste to say the least

  • Davie bhoy says:

    Get the feeling Dunfermline’s admin/liquidation has been deliberately delayed in order to stop the public looking into the links between Murray and Masterton

    It’s no surprise 3 of the most staunchly Hun clubs in spl are in dire straits financially,clubs closely linked through their background and fans,I wonder if those links continue at board level? All 3 clubs seem to have taken the same or similar approach I.e. spending more than you can afford and to hell with the consequences

    Q. Who at the sfa is responsible for requesting the audited accounts of their member clubs?,surely after this latest debacle there will be SOMEONE at the sfa held accountable!

    • keni says:

      google Operation Hornet. Tells you all you need to know. And google Ian Fraser re HBOS, Masterton, Stadia, etc

  • Joe says:

    Corruption at the SFA has again raised its head. Is it that deep that so many more clubs have so much to hide that they keep their mouths shut through all ofthis? Why is it that Regan and Ogilvie remain under protection like this? There isn’t any doubt these two are hiding corruption, and at thesame time, purely by sheer cooincidence of course, since their ex establishment club no longer exist, gone like the dinosaur, the suddenly feel it is now, only now, that there is an urgent need to reorganize the whole of the Scottish game to help the new club who have now been adopted as the new establishment club, and see them get into the top league quicker. This is if they are being honest, the sole reason for the urgent need to change. But if one thing has ever been very obvious in all of this, it is the people in power there are extremely incompetent and incapable of running any organization. They have all contributed to us now offcally becoming the wrst footballing nation in the world. Yet they keep their jobs.

  • Davie bhoy says:

    Personally think the staff at sfa,spl are so consumed by keeping Celtic down at the same time twisting and subverting their own rules to help cheatco that they haven’t got time or resources to actually improve our game in any way

    Their mantra is simple ,keep us down when they can and help cheatco at every available opportunity,sad but true

  • Sweeney Hughes says:

    It’s patently obvious, imo, the heads of the SPL, SFA & SFL are corrupt incompitent patsies, employed solely on their ability to brass neck it.

  • Liam ("ghodsson") Griffin says:

    Davey Bhoy, I object to your reference to Dunfermline as a “hun” club..if I understand you properly.
    Putting aside the sectarian aspect, as a Celtic fan and as a Christian, I have always found Dunfermline to be anything but a “hun” club. I have attended religious services actually ON their pitch, the use of which I understand was donated free…hardly the actions of a “hun.”
    Dunfermline played Celtic at Parkhead on the last day of our centenary season, when they were already doomed to relegation, and yet their travelling support retained enough sense of humour (and “balance”) to display a large banner “HAPPY BIRTHDAY CELTIC”, hardly the actions of a “hun”
    It verges on generalization I know, but Fifers come from the same mining stock as Stein, Busby and Shankly, no “huns” in that trio.
    The “Pars” broke my heart at Hampden as a wee bhoy, beating us in a replayed cup final, and years later were our stuffy honourable opponents at the same Hampden when we beat them to win our first trophy of the Glory Stein years, the first trophy I’d seen Celtic winning despite following them home and away for nearly ten years…No!! they are no “huns.” Davey, just one more victim of the greedy society created by the arch hun, maggie thatcher, she who destroyed the mining communities and now her policies and the culture they create are destroying the game I love. Liam Griffin

    • Pensioner Bhoy says:

      Same generation, Liam, and have to agree 100% with what you say about Dunfermline FC. It would well behove some to remember that Scotland’s greatest saint is venerated in the town too, St. Margaret. Because those at the helm may lean heavily to one side does not mean the ship itself is listing. Well said Liam.

      H H

  • Davie bhoy says:

    My reference to Dunfermline Liam is based on my experience of meeting pars fans,who were pars fans first but liked to see the Huns do well also at the same time have a clear dislike of Celtic,I’ve met a few but might’ve been unlucky with the ones I’ve met,I do remember going to CP to watch a beamback in 98 of pars v Celts when we needed a win to get the title and stop the TEN,we didn’t get the result but Dunfermline’s fans celebrated that day like they had just won the league though they had nothing to play for,you’ve had better experiences of Pars fans than I’ve had and as a result it might have skewed my opinion on them a wee bit

    Just my opinion on them and I don’t claim to be correct all the time,agree about Thatcher she was as ruthless as they come and put in place to Americanise Britain through sustained and relentless privatisation no matter the human cost which was a horrible policy to say the least

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