Imatim
Well-known member
.............................
Hypocrisy at its finest.....the Support are Celtic.....not the manipulators who go by the name of the Celtic Board.....I can see a revolution coming...
Lost Connection – Green Brigade’s new banner protest
- Thread starter Winning Captains
- Start date
Hypocrisy at its finest.....the Support are Celtic.....not the manipulators who go by the name of the Celtic Board.....I can see a revolution coming...
Imatim
Well-known member
I think Peter Lawwell has set a trap for the Green Brigade with the erection of this fence.....he knows this fence will antagonise them.....and that they will no doubt attempt to breach it.....I also think Police Scotland will be under instructions to wade in.....should this come to pass.....we will be a Club at war with ourselves.....due to our custodians transparent attempts to divert attention away from themselves...
I would urge the Green Brigade to not fall in to this potential trap...
I would urge the Green Brigade to not fall in to this potential trap...
Imatim
Well-known member
Cop this!
The trap has been set...
celtsarehere.com
The trap has been set...
Police Scotland Address Celtic Fans | Celts Are Here
Police Scotland has urged fans not to protest at the ground this weekend, to prevent the spread of Covid-19
celtsarehere.com
You are not alone
Hail Hail
Maybe you two can form a bubble.
contra mundum
Member
My concerns with respect to governance and management at Celtic plc are long-standing. Specifically, the board’s and CEO’s:
Their policy of not using the term “the Old Firm” is fooling no one. It is very clear the Celtic plc business model depends on “the Old Firm” remaining alive. The craven acquiescence to (and facilitation of?) the above and more is now coming home to roost and affecting results on the park.
A blind eye was turned to the involvement in Scottish football of a convicted fraudster for how many years. At what other club would this have been accepted by the SFA and the other member clubs? The latest financial statements of RIFC cast serious doubt if that club/company is a going concern. Despite the disclosure that they have offers extant from two directors to cover forecast cash shortfalls of £23.2m “as necessary”, the financial statements further disclose explicitly there is no binding debt facility in place as at 17 November 2020, the date the financial statements and audit opinion were signed. Information should be sought on the ultimate sources of the directors’ and other loans. There is a proven track record of proceeds of crime being invested in that organisation by a convicted South African criminal.
Based on the publicly available information in the 2019-20 RIFC financial statements, in my professional opinion there is genuine reason to be sceptical about why the audit opinion did not include a qualification on the basis that the company is NOT a going concern. [Disclosure: I am a Company Auditor and Chartered Accountant with over 38 years’ experience.]
Celtic could easily commission professional advice that would reach a similar conclusion and demand further forensic investigation. So why don’t they?
Why are the Celtic board so unwilling to insist on a level playing field for all clubs?
If Celtic are unwilling to act on any of the above, they must be forced to by Celtic supporters. And as minority shareholders who hold no voting power, only financial sanctions, I believe, will be effective in doing this.
The board and CEO have done just enough and no more to stay ahead domestically, with the notable exception of the appointment of Brendan Rodgers. Even his short 33-month tenure was corrupted and disrupted by a CEO who is an unqualified, de facto Director of Football, supported by a compliant board. They have achieved very little for years to assist any progression in Europe or to move to a competition outside Scotland.
Who among us wants our club’s very existence to be dependent on a rivalry with bigots, cheats and criminals?
Governance at Celtic has failed in the last decade or so. The current board has morphed into the same cosy, group-think set-up that characterised the pre-1994 board. Any external criticism is verboten and rejected outright. Just keep buying season tickets and merchandise and shut up!
Renewal and regeneration are required to bring fresh, modern thinking and strategies to the board and management; and, most importantly, knowledge of the global football environment in the 2020s. How many of the current board know how a contemporary, professional sporting organisation with a global footprint should be positioned and run?
Good corporate governance includes succession planning and a healthy level of turnover in board and CEO positions, with recruitment of those with contemporary and complementary skill-sets relevant to the sector, not the complacency, hubris and stagnation that allows the same people to hold the same roles for decades.
For the vast majority of us, Celtic is an emotional investment. We want our club to be able to compete on a level playing field. We play by the rules, so we should insist others are forced to do the same and are held fully accountable when they do not.
We need these messages to be conveyed strongly and clearly to the board and CEO; and if they continue to refuse to act, they need to face financial sanctions.
Potential financial sanctions:
Regrettably, if they will not listen to the people who are Celtic football club, in my opinion we need to communicate with them in the only language they understand – a financial one.
- silence regarding the illegal use of EBTs by the liquidated club;
- acquiescence to the 5 Way Agreement;
- tacit acceptance of the continuation myth;
- acceptance of the outcomes of the flawed Lord Nimmo-Smith commission;
- obfuscation, delays and lies regarding Resolution 12;
- failure to act on the ongoing financial irregularities of the tribute act; and
- failure to act on the institutionalised corruption of the Scottish football authorities.
Their policy of not using the term “the Old Firm” is fooling no one. It is very clear the Celtic plc business model depends on “the Old Firm” remaining alive. The craven acquiescence to (and facilitation of?) the above and more is now coming home to roost and affecting results on the park.
A blind eye was turned to the involvement in Scottish football of a convicted fraudster for how many years. At what other club would this have been accepted by the SFA and the other member clubs? The latest financial statements of RIFC cast serious doubt if that club/company is a going concern. Despite the disclosure that they have offers extant from two directors to cover forecast cash shortfalls of £23.2m “as necessary”, the financial statements further disclose explicitly there is no binding debt facility in place as at 17 November 2020, the date the financial statements and audit opinion were signed. Information should be sought on the ultimate sources of the directors’ and other loans. There is a proven track record of proceeds of crime being invested in that organisation by a convicted South African criminal.
Based on the publicly available information in the 2019-20 RIFC financial statements, in my professional opinion there is genuine reason to be sceptical about why the audit opinion did not include a qualification on the basis that the company is NOT a going concern. [Disclosure: I am a Company Auditor and Chartered Accountant with over 38 years’ experience.]
Celtic could easily commission professional advice that would reach a similar conclusion and demand further forensic investigation. So why don’t they?
Why are the Celtic board so unwilling to insist on a level playing field for all clubs?
If Celtic are unwilling to act on any of the above, they must be forced to by Celtic supporters. And as minority shareholders who hold no voting power, only financial sanctions, I believe, will be effective in doing this.
The board and CEO have done just enough and no more to stay ahead domestically, with the notable exception of the appointment of Brendan Rodgers. Even his short 33-month tenure was corrupted and disrupted by a CEO who is an unqualified, de facto Director of Football, supported by a compliant board. They have achieved very little for years to assist any progression in Europe or to move to a competition outside Scotland.
Who among us wants our club’s very existence to be dependent on a rivalry with bigots, cheats and criminals?
Governance at Celtic has failed in the last decade or so. The current board has morphed into the same cosy, group-think set-up that characterised the pre-1994 board. Any external criticism is verboten and rejected outright. Just keep buying season tickets and merchandise and shut up!
Renewal and regeneration are required to bring fresh, modern thinking and strategies to the board and management; and, most importantly, knowledge of the global football environment in the 2020s. How many of the current board know how a contemporary, professional sporting organisation with a global footprint should be positioned and run?
Good corporate governance includes succession planning and a healthy level of turnover in board and CEO positions, with recruitment of those with contemporary and complementary skill-sets relevant to the sector, not the complacency, hubris and stagnation that allows the same people to hold the same roles for decades.
For the vast majority of us, Celtic is an emotional investment. We want our club to be able to compete on a level playing field. We play by the rules, so we should insist others are forced to do the same and are held fully accountable when they do not.
We need these messages to be conveyed strongly and clearly to the board and CEO; and if they continue to refuse to act, they need to face financial sanctions.
Potential financial sanctions:
- Mass requests for refunds of season tickets for games not played in the 2019-20 season
- Mass cancellations of direct debits for 2020-21 season tickets
- A boycott of Celtic stores
- Lobbying of corporate sponsors to withdraw in lieu of a boycott of their products
Regrettably, if they will not listen to the people who are Celtic football club, in my opinion we need to communicate with them in the only language they understand – a financial one.
Bridie Bhoy
Well-known member
Welcome Contra. What a hell of a second post. Absolutely bang on the money. And don't be surprised if you get a tap on the shoulder from Winning Captains to say he wants to put this excellent post up on the Celtic Star as an article. It is essential that these issues get addressed soon before Lawwell does further damage to our beloved club.
Excellent summation of the position vis-a-vis the Celtic Board and their culpability in :
a) the present malaise at the Club , and
b) the failure to insert wooden stake into the heart of the Zombie Klub .
Well said !
HH
Imatim
Well-known member
........................
Well said!
I think you could have added the side letters issue which was in clear violation of SFA rules and which should have seen a 3 point deduction applied to every game relevant. Also ignored by the Celtic Board...
Contra
Welcome.
An excellent forensically sound article.
However I fear that the issues you raise of corporate governance, level playing field rules and even Res 12, while all solid business issues, are not in my opinion really on the priority list of most supporters.
If you differentiate the corporate from the football most look to have football success, doing little to connect the direct relationship of business success to football success.
We have won 11 trophies in a row with a quadruple treble nearly there.if we were having this debate with Celtic leading the league by 11 points then the kicking of Lawwell, the Board and DD would gain not a great deal of traction. As it is you are shooting into an empty net. Blame has to be attributed for failure and supporters are quick to forget.
You make some good points but the one I would highlight as a key is succession. Specifically DD.
The South African is currently looking to shaft the gullible in govan, as its his only financial exit, but surely DD should look to create a vehicle for supporter ownership for his own succession?
Anyway supportive of much that you write but think to assess the whole picture you have to balance the valid criticism with the football results. Are they really doing such a bad job?
As a final thought on level playing fields are PSG and Manchester City playing to the rules? And if the ranjurs are playing to the rules you and I can see from their accounts it is simply not sustainable, the board there don't have the deep pockets of the middle eastern owners.
Anyway enjoy the Noise, apart from some obvious trolls I think there are a lot of good bhoys and girls on here
HH
Steviebhoy2
Well-known member
The Celtic Trust will be putting out a statement later today based on the Zoom meeting points. Fan engagement and the fence high amongst the issues.
boab1916
Well-known member
The Shamrock
Well-known member
Nailed it.
