Claire Whyte is the latest casualty of Resolution 12 leaving the SFA looking for it’s third Compliance Officer in three years- after acknowledging in 2017 that the 2011 UEFA licence needed reviewed.
The dogged approach of Celtic shareholders to the awarding of the UEFA licence in 2011 has sent a chill through Hampden as documents unravel who was involved and the lengths that the football authorities have gone cover up and deny justice.
Rod Petrie and Andrew Dickson were on the Licence Committee in 2011 with both men still in Executive roles, Petrie as President of the SFA.
In 2017, Stewart Regan finally admitted that the issue had to be reviewed, after dragging the matter out McGlennan walked away in June 2018 with Whyte replacing him as Compliance Officer.
Last summer the SFA claimed that the 2011 Licence was outwith their remit and that the Court of Arbitration for Sport was the only body that could rule on the matter. This is believed to stem from the Five Way Agreement of 2012, at the Celtic AGM of 2019 Peter Lawwell told shareholders that no one at the club was involved in the drawing up of the agreement and that he had no need to view it.
Today The Sun reports Ian Maxwell saying:
I would like to thank Clare for her commitment to the role over the past two years with the Scottish FA. In what is a high-pressure position in a relentless environment, she has shown professionalism and resilience. We will begin the process of recruiting a replacement in early course.
Due diligence for the next Compliance Officer would suggest that going near the SFA wouldn’t be the best career move.
The 2011 licence denied Celtic participation on the Champions League qualifiers with the place going to the old Rangers club despite having an overdue tax payable of £2.8m.
Under Dave Murray buying footballers and paying them was a greater priority than paying HMRC. Ally McCoist’s failure to get past Malmo led to a £20m drop in income, in February 2012 the club was placed in administration, four months later Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II refused a CVA forcing the club into liquidation and the death of a 139-year-old Scottish institution.
