The conversation surrounding the awarding of a UEFA License to Rangers in 2011 has sprung up again after comments made by SFA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell.
But what does the whole thing actually mean for Rangers?
The demotion of Scotland’s Premier club has had a ripple effect across the game here, and the tiresome revisiting of the furore of 2011/12 can often make for painful reading.
In this case, Rangers are essentially accused of, deliberately or not, embellishing their application for that year. Namely by failing to disclose an unpaid tax liability.
Article 50bis of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations (UCLFFPR) states that clubs must have “no overdue payables towards social/tax authorities” if they’re to be award a license, barring exemptions.
If Rangers did and had declared this, it would’ve been unlikely they’d have been granted a UEFA License. As a result, Celtic may well have gained entry to Champions League qualification that season.
Que scandal.
SFA launched its own investigation
Two years ago, the SFA instructed its compliance officer to carry out an investigation. This, according to the Scotsman will be completed by the end of the year. Ian Maxwell told the Times it would be in “the not too distant future.”
So what does it mean for Rangers? Well, it’s hard to say. Should the CO believe Rangers have a case to answer, it’ll likely go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Rangers maintained that an agreement signed in 2012 in the wake of the financial collapse means the SFA has no jurisdiction over the matter. The SFA agree.
The reality is that if Rangers are found to have been involved in wrongdoing there’ll be right royal stink kicked up. After that, who knows what Rangers’ position will be then, or the SFA’s. There may have also been corruption at the governing body.
It’s a bureaucratic mess of newco, oldco, sevco. But really, this is twisting the knife after the club was gutted by a team of deadly charlatans and snakes. It’s so tiresome for supporters.
It is remarkably hard to consider such an irresponsible move by the current regime, especially with such a spotlight on the club at the time. That’s if the previous regime even did anything wrong, to begin with.
As for punishments, under article 72 of the UCLFFPR, any breach of the regulations is dealt with by the Procedural rules governing the UEFA Club Financial Control Body.
Article 29 of this document details the potential punishments those in breach of UEFA License rules can receive. These range from a warning to a points deduction to exclusion from competitions and finally to the withdrawal of awards.
I suppose we’ll eagerly await the outcome of Clare Whyte’s report then. Still, there will no such problem this year – Rangers have been awarded a UEFA License for next season.
