Mike Ashley is taking the SFA to court over their decision to grant Dave King fit and proper status to be a director of Sevco.
Rather than go through the internal procedures of the association the Sports Direct tycoon will take his case to the Court of Session in Edinburgh on December 11 to overturn that decision.
Mr Ashley owns a 9% stake in the troubled football club and has seen the value of his shareholding decimated since the South African based criminal took control of the blue room of unsurpassed dignity.
Mr King’s revolution in March was followed by the club being kicked off the Alternative Investment Market rendering current shareholdings virtually worthless with no share-trading facilities.
Last week in their audited accounts a going concern warning was issued admitting to a shortfall of £2.5m for the current season with external finance required in December.
In addition blazer chaser Paul Murray’s favourite newspaper has produced a constant flow of stories highly critical of Mr Ashley.
According to a report in today’s Scottish Sun the Sports Direct supremo has decided to take the SFA to the Court of Session to explain the Mr King decision and get him removed from the picture.
In May the SFA stated: “In considering the request, the Board of the Scottish FA has sought and received specialist independent legal advice, both in Scotland and South Africa, in respect of Mr King’s conviction further to the South African Income Tax Act and in relation to his previous involvement as a Director of the club. It has also received significant documentation from relevant authorities both within the UK and South Africa.
“The scale of this due diligence is unprecedented but befitting the complexities of the consideration placed before the Board. During this exercise both Mr King and the club were fully co-operative and responded to all questions put to them by the Scottish FA.
“On the basis of this advice presented to it, and having considered all submissions received from Mr King and the club in respect of this matter, the Scottish FA Board granted an approval, conditional upon further submissions from Mr King in respect of documented agreements with the appropriate authorities in South Africa.
“The Scottish FA can confirm it has now received this supplementary documentation in full and the Board is satisfied Mr King is Fit and Proper in terms of Article 10.2.”
The SFA statement acknowledged Mr King being a director of Rangers prior to liquidation and his conviction on 41 counts of fraud. It was suggested at the time that the green light was given on the promise of Mr King investing in the club, despite all the hot air the non-billionaire from Castlemilk has still to invest a penny in the club.
Sports Direct v the SFA is just the latest event that seems certain to send Sevco into administration with turkeys more likely to celebrate Boxing Day in good health.
Tomorrow Charles Green will be at the Court of Session to get the club to pay his fees for the Ibrox Fraud Case relating to the £5.5m transfer of assets in 2012.
On November 27 the company will attempt to stage an AGM with one of the proposals being to deny voting rights to anyone (Mr Ashley) with a stake in another football club.
December 2 is the final date for BDO to appeal against the verdict in the Big Tax Case, Sevco issued a statement on Monday asking everyone to move on.
On December 9 Mr Ashley will attempt to get Mr King, who was described as a glib and shameless liar by a South African judge, jailed for breaching a court order preventing him from discussing the deal between Sevco and Sports Direct.
In June 55% of Sevco shareholders voted not to repay Sports Direct the £5m crisis loan provided in January that kept the lights on to fund Dowally and Stuarty’s promotion bids.
Shares in ice cream and jelly companies have risen 20% over the last week.
Well done Mick Ashley. How this man ever got a “fit and proper” decision is baffling.! – Unless of course you have been brought up in Scotland and see every day how bias these people are to feather their own nests and keep serco in the media when in fact they should be banished for ever for what they have done, cheating hospitals and other important tax funded services out of much needed revenue, and yet their necks are so thick (with their heads) that they think they have done no wrong. Crawl back into the holes you have come out and stay there. I foresee a nice big river coming towards serco and it is called “The Swanee” Goodbye nice sailing.
For the good of Scottish football and elevating the standards of OUR game I think it would be better for our National game if Celtic just bought out Rangers to keep the big house open and pay off Mike Ashleys 5 million loan to keep everyone in Scotland happy.Go Scotland.
Mammy Daddy!!! never seen that one coming,but what an early morning present.be buzzin all day now,maybe there is a God after all????
Wouldn’t surprise me at all if the SFA had a whip round to pay off ashley thats how bias and corrupt they are towards the horrible cheating zombies fc i would be over the moon if i never saw that poor excuse for a football club ever again they should be banished for good for what they have done…HAIL HAIL
Every day is like Christmas ,ah think the Celtic Board should be offering big Mike a seat on our Board or a Sainthood or summit.
Once again the wagons are being circled by the media in Scotland on this issue!
Just for good measure……can I ask Mr Mitchell about his moving on from the years of cheating? Can I ask if thinks all the cheating Russian athletes should keep their medals?
Oh wait a minute….. this is Scotland and we have different rules here compared to the rest of the world!
HH
What a lovely morning, it just gets better and better.
Wouldn’t put it past big Mike to bankrupt the SFA as well, buy one get one free !
HH
This “Institution” (and you know who resides in Institutions) had one person who,genuniely, was in a position to rescue them…Mike Ashley.
And what do they do…?
Yep…They tell him to piss off and insult him every which way but loose.
Based on this alone they don’t deserve to survive.
(Although there are another 50 reasons you could put forward.)
Hell mend them I say…Their arrogance is matched only by their ignorance.
Bring them on Mike…then bring them down.
I hope this goes ahead as I would love Big M’s QC to ask the SFA about the secret(not) 5 way agreement to see if there is anythink to link GSL being a director of Oldco and getting fit & proper in Newco.
Time has come for a complete clear out at the corrupt SFA,
Doubt it will happen though,too many blazers with sticky fingers,IMO.HH
Do you think if I promise to spend Xmas shopping in his shops for Xmas presents that he’ll kindly sue the SFA on our behalf & get all our Season Ticket money back we were done out off??? I’m waiting on the phone call do you have ppi? Nope Were you involved in an accident? Nope Did you have a Celtic Season Ticket between 1999 & 2011?? Bingo that’s me you little ripper how much do I get back fer that??? Thousands yeeeeeesssss ?????
About time someone took to task the biased, corrupt, complicit, deeply sectarian SFA. Dave King should never have passed the fit and proper person test and everyone and their dug knew it. They all also knew that the embedded sectarianism in the SFA would somehow allow him to pass the test… Now can you justify it in a court of law SFA? They’l be totally bricking it, i only wish our own board would have had the gumption to do this.
Lawwell appears to be getting the runaround from the SFA in getting an answer to Resolution 12.
Peter some advice, pick up the phone to Police Scotland in the morning and report the grand fraud that has potentially cost Celtic FC millions of pounds because Rangers were given the 2011 Euro licence when everyone and their granny knew they had an outstanding tax bill.
Should take the fraud squad all of 10 minutes to find the culprits.
Have a bottle of wine Dave.