Peter Lawwell’s decision to step down from the board of the SPFL has sparked speculation about the motive behind the move.
The Celtic chief has been a long standing member at both the SPL and SPFL while a number of governance issues have brewed.
Celtic will of course remain a very powerful voice within the 42 club group but by detaching himself from the board it allows a number of searching questions to be asked with no Celtic rep on the board forced to explain or defend decisions.
Among the many issues are the terms and remit of the Nimmo Smith commission which came up with a number of baffling conclusions to the actions of Rangers (IL) for over a decade.
Chief among them was the decision to report from November 2000 rather than July 1998 which was requested. Prior to November 2000 Rangers (IL) signed Ronald de Boer and Tore Andre Flo on Discount Option Schemes which the club had finally admitted their guilt on to HMRC.
After issuing a quick holding statement on the day of the Supreme Court the SPFL have remained silent as more and more details have emerged on line with the John James site revealing details of the reaction of the SPL board to the Nimmo Smith verdict.
While a number of deflection issues are raised the bottom line is that from 2000 to 2011 Rangers (IL) fielded players who were ineligible due to the club withholding payment details from the SFA and SPL and also not paying income tax and national insurance on those payments.
