Celtic set the record straight with BBC Scotland
With audited accounts published every year, AGM’s held on time and a succession of blue chip directors ranging from cabinet ministers to former directors of the Bank of England the state broadcaster really should have known better than to run with financial fantasies created by the lunatic fringe of the Sevco support.
Having stood back and watched their own club go into liquidation, in contrast to the honest hands on approach of Hearts and Dunfermline fans, the Sevco support has attempted to find scandal at their city rivals.
After failing in their attempt to blacked the clubs’ name with the £31m debt to the Co-Operative Bank the Sevco accountants have been kept busy looking at land deals involving the Scottish champions around Celtic Park and Lennoxtown.
Anyone with a passing interest in the city will know that land values around Celtic Park are rather less expensive than elsewhere in the city while Lennoxtown was an out of town development on land that even polar bears would think twice about occupying.
Despite all that evidence the BBC, led by business and economy editor Douglas Fraser, decided to lend credibility to the story by running with claims that the EEC were investigating the land deals involving Celtic, a club that has always paid every penny owed to HMRC.
Excitedly Fraser tweeted: “Euro Cmmn on claims re Celtic, Glasgow CC & state aid rules: “requested & received detailed info from UK auths as always with a complaint”
Shortly afterwards, to dampen down expectations, he returned to the real world with: “Euro Cmmn on Celtic, Glasgow and state aid: “info being analysed: no conclusions can be drawn at this stage. No formal investigation”
For the hard of thinking that effectively confirms that the story is a non-issue. Perhaps Fraser could have spent his time more productively joining the dots that link Gavin Masterton, Davie Murray, Bank of Scotland, Halifax, Lloyds TSB and £800,000,000,000 of tax payers money used to keep the show afloat.
At 5.30pm, clearly without any attempt at validating the story the BBC were telling their website readers about ‘EEC looking into Celtic land deals. Half an hour later Celtic were forced into action.
The club statement read: “IN response to stories in today’s media concerning Celtic, the club has released the following statement.
“Celtic Football Club operates to the highest standards and with the utmost integrity. At a time when the Club is committed to investing in and improving areas around Celtic Park, not only for Celtic supporters but for the benefit of the local community, it is sad that these baseless accusations have been raised with the European Commission.
“Any suggestion that Celtic has been the beneficiary of state aid is preposterous – as ludicrous as any suggestion that we have benefited from soft loans from our bankers. The historic transactions referred to were negotiated with the Council on commercial terms at market rates.
“The Club will assist the Commission fully with the process and will not be deterred from our work to improve our local area.”
Once upon a time the BBC stood for standards but the current mob in Pacific Quay have shown their colours time and time again, happily trotting out without question the latest announcements from whoever is in charge of the Ibrox club at any particular time.
This latest episode highlights just how badly the urge is within the BBC to link Celtic to any scandal while they attempt to curry favour for the next batch of Sevco moonbeams.
Up until the late 1970’s BBC Scotland used a similar recruitment policy to Rangers (IL) and while those practices are no longer active their attitude remains with the Sports Department the grooming ground for former Sevco Communications director Jim Traynor.
While Douglas Fraser is given a platform as a state funded blogger for his Sevco fantasies the reputation of BBC Scotland continues to plunge with their coverage of real business and economic stories lacking any credibility.
Hopefully the EEC will turn their attention to the state aid provided to broadcasters like the BBC and the unfair advantage that they receive against properly run commercial organisations.