Showing his complete lack of understanding of football rivalry Roger Mitchell has urged Celtic supporters to move on and concentrate on the current success of their team.
As chief executive of the SPL Mitchell looked at the token contracts registered for Tore Andre Flo and Ronald de Boer compared to the deals for John Hartson, Chris Sutton and Neil Lennon and decided not to say a word.
Had the then chief executive probed the issue the tax cheating of the old club could have been killed off at source.
1) Since “Armageddon” I’ve been relatively ambivalent about Rangers. Been openly a “move on” guy, but still love to see them struggle, like today. So many bhoys however are clearly obsessed by them. I mean obsessed. Their name, complex insolvency law, Res12, no OldFirm exists.???????
— Roger Mitchell (@RPMComo) December 9, 2018
So, we gave good money for over a decade and were cheated out of cash that came from our pockets to watch a rigged game. Ach just forget about it, cheating is ok in your book yes?
— DJBEE (@celticonly) December 9, 2018
I think the problem is we haven’t “moved on” the circumstances that led to the collapse of 1st Rangers are still there and will in all likelihood lead to the collapse of 2nd Rangers, meanwhile every other club lives within its means. That’s not “moving on”
— Blantyre Commercial (@BCommyCSC) December 9, 2018
And they are right to be. RFC cheated for over a decade and won honours they never should have. All this is bad enough, but the SMSM and people like you telling non-Sevco fans to ‘move on’ is nauseating. Truth and reconciliation is the only way forward for Scottish football.
— Tony Cowden ???????????????????????????? (@CowdenTony) December 9, 2018
We all expected a new, reborn Rangers of some description. Fine. But that was beyond the vision of the SFA/SPFL, possibly even Celtic? ‘Moving on’ requires honesty & contrition, which has been non existent. Hence the continued quest for truth by the fans, for the fans.
— johnmctaggart (@jmctaberdour) December 9, 2018
Over a decade of cheating that they were allowed to keep the spoils from but we’ve to just move on ? That’s the same attitude that has the game in the shit right now, no one trusts Hampden officials or referees and linesmen NOT to cheat on behalf of the new club ?move on ? Really
— Yogi the Tim (@yogithetim2) December 9, 2018
It’s not obsession. It’s comedy gold. pic.twitter.com/dYNJtLJZpY
— Lubo (@geniusLubo) December 9, 2018
Instead Mitchell decided to say and do nothing as a phony arms race built up driving Celtic heavily into debt to compete with a club playing to a different set of rules, recruiting and retaining players with the promise of millions being stashed away in off shore trusts out of the reach of HMRC.
Eventually it caught up on both clubs. Celtic had to reign in their spending to remain solvent, the old club from Ibrox lapped up the success and adulation but eventually after a raid ordered by the Metropolitan Police the tangled tax web inside Ibrox was unravelled.
Over a period of 13 months the old club from Ibrox was sold for one pound, went into administration and liquidation. HMRC lost out on millions, money that would have funded public services.
With a bat of his eyelids from his new base in Italy Mitchell wants everyone to move on, no investigation into what happened while people like Dave King, Andrew Dickson and Al Johnston to be involved in the decision making and legislation of Scottish football.
Perhaps Mitchell and others have something to hide?