Rangers charged by SFA over 2011/12 UEFA licence issue

[der Berliner 3,744]

Took them a while to get the finger out, but at last we know why the Compliance Officer has so little time to chase players diving and cheating about. I have highlighted the bit that will dominate the headlines for the next few days ...

 

Quote

 

Rangers charged by SFA over 2011/12 UEFA licence issue

 

The Scottish FA compliance officer has served the club with a notice of complaint.

 

Rangers have been charged by the Scottish FA with breaking the governing body's rules over a tax bill prior to being awarded a licence to play in European football in the 2011/12 season.

 

The governing body has brought two charges against the Ibrox club, relating to their reporting of the 'Wee Tax Case' in paperwork submitted to Hampden.

In September 2017, the Scottish FA instructed its compliance officer to investigate the circumstances surrounding Rangers UEFA licence application in 2011 and its own decision to grant the club permission to play in Europe.

Nine months later, after reviewing documentation from the time and evidence given during the Craig Whyte trial, the Hampden official has decided that the Rangers have a case to answer over the "monitoring period" of 2010/11 and 2011/12.

UEFA rules state clubs applying to play in Europe should have "no payables overdue" to tax authorities, but do allow applications to progress if amounts are in dispute.

Rangers said at the time of their application in 2011 they had no overdue payables but that they were in dispute with HMRC over their liability from a Discounted Option Scheme, known as "the Wee Tax Case", which was in use from 2000 to 2002.

However, in court testimony given during the Craig Whyte trial, Rangers and Murray Group directors stated the club knew the tax bill was overdue in November 2010, months before their UEFA licence application.

Following the court case, the Scottish FA took legal advice from a QC before referring the matter to their compliance officer to investigate whether the governing body had acted correctly when processing the licence application.

That has resulted in two separate charges, due to the change in the governing body's own disciplinary rules from Articles of Association to a Judicial Panel Protocol.

The first charge relates to failing to comply with "the articles and any statutes, regulations, directives, codes, decisions and international match calendar promulgated by the board or by a standing committee, committee or sub-committee thereof, or by FIFA or UEFA or by the Court of Arbitration for Sport".

The second alleges that Rangers did not follow rules that: "All members shall:- (a) observe the principles of loyalty, integrity and sportsmanship in accordance with the rules of fair play; (b) be subject to and comply with the articles and any statutes, regulations, directives, codes, decisions and international match calendar promulgated by the board, the Professional Game Board, the Non-Professional Game Board, the Judicial Panel Protocol, a committee or sub-committee, FIFA, UEFA or the Court of Arbitration for Sport; (f) behave towards the Scottish FA and other members with the utmost good faith."

Sanctions for the second rule breach range from a £1,000 fine up to "£5,000,000 and/or ejection from the Scottish Cup and/or exclusion from the Scottish Cup and/or any player registration restrictions and/or suspension and/or termination of membership and/or any sanction or disposal not expressly provided above".

 

A response from Rangers is due by May 22, with a principal hearing date set for June 26.

Regardless of the outcome, UEFA are unlikely to take any action over the matter, having a five-year limit on dealing with historic cases.

 

 

https://stv.tv/sport/football/1415110-rangers-charged-by-sfa-over-2011-12-uefa-licence-issue/

[der Berliner 3,744]

ID10 on FF just now:

 

Rangers statement on way & it’s a beauty

[Blue Moon 1,291]

Will they just leave us be?  Talk about persecution.  I would like to know how this came about.

[buster. 5,196]

9 minutes ago, der Berliner said:

ID10 on FF just now:

 

Rangers statement on way & it’s a beauty

I hope that means it's better than usual and not written by JT.

[der Berliner 3,744]

The unwanted Regan went out, Doncaster went in.

 

UEFA said nothing at the time, UEFA won't say a thing now. The mhedia will go ballistic using the highlighted bits ... for a change perhaps looking for a "transfer ban" ... and then, somewhere at the end of June they charge us 25k or the like. But up till then, the Hooped Hordes will have been sated with another few lorries of mud slung our way.

 

You wonder whether there actually is a set time period when it comes to such charges ... but given the archaic structure of the SFA, I have my doubts.

Edited May 15, 2018 by der Berliner

[der Berliner 3,744]

Notice Of Complaint

 

THE Rangers Football Club (“the Club”) was informed today by the Scottish FA  (“SFA”) that, after an eight-and-a-half month investigation, the SFA will not be proceeding with a Notice of Complaint in respect of the submission made by the Club to the SFA at the end of March 2011 with regard to the issue of the Club’s UEFA licence for the following Season.

The Club is unsurprised that it has now finally been accepted by the SFA that the accusations made against the Club were groundless. The Club questions whether the time, cost and expense of this investigation was justified and was a good use of the SFA’s limited resources.

Disappointingly, and presumably rather than accept that the investigation was a waste of all parties’ time and resources, the Club has been served with a new revised Notice of Complaint relating to the monitoring period subsequent to the grant of the UEFA licence. This new Notice of Complaint neglects to properly capture the provisions of prior agreements made between the Club and the SFA.

The Club will fiercely resist this reconstructed Notice of Complaint. Unfortunately, monies that should be available to Scottish youth and grassroots football will be diverted into another rehearsal of seven-year-old debates on the rights and wrongs of events that the SFA should have prevented at a time when doing so would have served a useful purpose.

It seems that Scottish Football is, once again, being directed by individuals intent on harming the Scottish game, Rangers Football Club and its supporters by pursuing a course that has no sensible purpose or reasonable prospect of success.

 

https://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/notice-of-complaint/

 

Quick and good!

[Blue Moon 1,291]

I need to stay away from this for the sake of my sanity.   I am so changed by everything that has happened.   If only they realised the damage they have done and the animosity they constantly stoke up.  

[Jim1955 12]

This is now way past vindictive and I ,for one, can't think who's behind this. Time now to mobilise the Blue Pound. No  tickets should be taken for the first round of away games next season and none offered to visiting SPL teams. We can sell out the ground, can they sell out  their grounds?

[buster. 5,196]

If this is from the SFA Compliance Officer, would it be a three man panel who would make a judgement (from June 26th) and decide any sanction ?

[Franc Ergs 1,651]

Eight and a half months !!..! to do what exactly ? and at what cost?

 

They truly are utterly shameless.