Roger Mitchell has expressing his concerns that ‘Rangers’ won’t make it through to the resumption in football.
The former chief executive of the SPL is now based in Italy but keeps a close eye on Scottish football having played a lead role in the old club going into liquidation in 2012.
With lucrative ‘Old Firm’ television deals at stake Mitchell didn’t raise any concerns about the cut price contracts registered for Tore Andre Flo and Ronald de Boer who were getting massive separate payments through the Discount Options Scheme.
Flo was getting a ‘through the books’ salary that was half the value of Chris Sutton’s Celtic contract despite being the first choice striker at Chelsea when Sutton moved to Glasgow.
Had Mitchell acted on the dual contracts being used, deemed the players ineligible Dave Murray would have been wary of his so-called EBT scheme which in reality was a form of disguised remuneration.
I just get a strong feeling with these delays that @RangersFC aren’t going to make it. They were already in dire financial straits. I can’t see how they survive this covid black swan. The question is: do they take the whole of Scottish football with them!! Critical days!!!
— RP Mitchell (@RPMComo) May 6, 2020
Despite the events of 2012 there is no meaningful form of Financial Fair Play in Scottish football.
In November Dave King announced a £10m shortfall in his club’s accounts, when he walked away in March no fresh investment had arrived at the club.
Interim accounts upto 31 December are required by the SFA for clubs applying to play in UEFA competitions, despite complying in the previous eight years the current company has still to publish its interims for 2019.
The SFA hasn’t published any licencing details for the current season.
Mitchell was Chief Executive of the SPL from 1998 to 2002.