Member clubs have one more week to complete their application to the SFA for next season’s UEFA competitions.
A number of criteria have to be passed which basically show that a club is a viable business and not about to lurch into administration or worse. It’s in their own interests not to be dependent on UEFA prize money to sustain a loss making business.
Since 2011 there has been a focus on the issue with the SFA when they approved the application from Rangers despite owing HMRC £2.8m on deadline day. The bill had been outstanding since the previous November, it wasn’t under dispute or discussion. Rather than settle that bill the club splashed out on players with the goals of Nikita Jelavic securing the SPL title and a place in the Champions League qualifiers. Consequently, Celtic lost out by playing to the rules.
The Rangers 2011 example highlights why UEFA has licencing rules. Over-spending to pick up the UEFA pay-out for reaching the group stage of the Champions League back-fired badly. Malmo knocked Ally McCoist’s side out in the first qualifying round, the Sheriff Officers were at the door in August followed by administration and liquidation.
SFM pic.twitter.com/mTOT09PMsl
— Cluster One (@ClusterOne2) March 31, 2020
As the quote above demonstrates there is no need for Interim Accounts to be published and audited, but the SFA has to have a reflection of business trading at December 31. The last accounts out of Ibrox were upto June 30, they will be a year out of date when next season’s UEFA competitions begin.
This morning Ian Maxwell has a distraction from the scheduled UEFA video conference to discuss the suspension of football.
The licensing committee can prepare to assess the documents being submitted. There are other issues at the moment but if the SFA submit the loss making Ibrox club for European competition next season failure in the qualifying rounds could have disastrous consequences.
A second failure by the SFA to licence properly wouldn’t look very good on Maxwell’s CV, alongside leading Partick Thistle to relegation from the top flight.
From the SFA Licencing Manual:
Non-conformities involving UEFA mandatory criteria will be specified and the licence applicant advised of the outcome of failing to meet the rigid deadlines in place. This deadline for licence applicant’s to submit information that meets the UEFA requirements shall be 8 April. Any deviations beyond 8 April will be reviewed by the Licensing Committee at its April meeting.
This deadline date will comprise part of the “Club Report” template and will be communicated clearly to the licence applicants throughout the process. 4.2.6 – Licensing Committee Meet and Review LM will ensure that the procedure “Management for the Decision Making Bodies” as detailed in the Quality Manual is adhered to. LM will ensure the following – That the licence applicant has been provided with a deadline date for the submission of information.
In the case of the UEFA documents this will be 8 April (unless an earlier date is stipulated by the Scottish FA during the licensing process). That the licence applicant has been given the opportunity of being represented at the Licensing Committee meeting if there are items on the “Committee Report” that may lead to a refusal of a UEFA Licence award. Licensing Committee determines the award based upon the criteria, information provided on the “Committee Report”, feedback from the licence applicant and the recommendations of the LM and Experts.
