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Yes, that would seem about right for the decision that was made by The RT Hon Lord Nimmo Smith, Nicholas Stewart QC and Charles Flint QC on behalf of the SPL this morning in regards to the investigation into the following:
[1] For the reasons which are set out in detail below the Commission has unanimously
decided:
(1) Between the years 2000 and 2011 The Rangers Football Club Plc (now known as RFC
2012 Plc (in liquidation) and referred to in the decision as “Oldco”), the owner and
operator of Rangers Football Club (“Rangers FC”), entered into side-letter arrangements
with a large number of its professional players under which Oldco undertook to make
very substantial payments to an offshore employee benefit remuneration trust, with the
intent that such payments should be used to fund payments to be made to such players
in the form of loans;
Their decision as worded by them:
(6) Rangers FC did not gain any unfair competitive advantage from the contraventions of
the SPL Rules in failing to make proper disclosure of the side-letter arrangements, nor
did the non-disclosure have the effect that any of the registered players were ineligible
to play, and for this and other reasons no sporting sanction or penalty should be
imposed upon Rangers FC;
(7) As noted in the Commission’s earlier decision made on 12 September 2012 there is no
allegation that the current owner and operator of the club, The Rangers Football Club
Limited (“Newco”), contravened the SPL Rules or could be held responsible for any
breach by Oldco;
(8) In all the circumstances the Commission has imposed a fine of £250,000 on Oldco.
It would seem ‘nonsensical’ to me to try and impose a fine on a liquidated company. Even if you take it back to the then owner – Craig Whyte -, he has always claimed he has done nothing wrong so good luck trying to get him to pay a £250’000 fine.
As for the reclamation of Title Flags, it’s a real shady area that no-one at the Self Preservation League wants to get involved in. Taking titles away won’t do anyone any favours and will crucify an already beleaguered league system. Look at the Lance Armstrong situation, he has had his yellow jerseys taken away, how has it affected him and the newly implemented yellow jersey winners from those years? It hasn’t is the answer. He’s still rich from the years of sponsorship gained because of the yellow jersey wins, the other guys (no-one knows their names), haven’t gained anything apart from a belated yellow jersey to hang on their walls.
For me, this has dragged on too long and the SPL are toothless in their actions. They have tried to ramp up their reconstruction plans in an effort to deflect from the underlying problem in Scottish senior level football, self preservation.
Go back to the old days if you need guidance – packed stadiums across the country, no prima donnas on the park, winning European trophies, national team reaching World Cups – it’s not rocket science.
You’re all big boys, let’s figure it out before it’s too late!
Marc Roseblade is a Contributor for NotJustScottishFootball, Examiner.com, Football Speak, Global Football Today, 90 Soccer, Yardbarker, OurGameMagazine and various online & published sports outlets across the globe. All quotes are obtained first-hand unless otherwise stated. You can follow Marc on Twitter @myscottishfitba
