Topping on EBTs: “You can’t please everyone…”

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Topping on EBTs: “You can’t please everyone…”
 Article by: Ibrox Noise

Outgoing SPFL chairman Ralph Topping, whose impartiality, intelligence, and honesty will be sadly missed, has effectively admitted that the review board who will investigate Scottish football’s rules and practises during the so-called ‘EBT Period’ (mostly focusing on the handling Rangers, of course) are unlikely to be as impartial as he.

The SPFL and SFA are to team up and compile an ‘independent’ review relating to the procedures the authorities used way back when, but reading between the lines, Topping has cryptically conceded that the ‘independence’ part of the equation will be hard to secure. He said:

“It’s important that you get people on the review body who are… neutral, and who are capable and willing to accept the responsibility.”

If ever someone was taking a passing shot at the endemic lack of impartiality in the Scottish game, this would arguably be it.

However he goes one further by pointing out that even if both associations manage to arrive at a body which is as neutral as it is possible to be, it still will not be ‘good enough’ for the sport north of the border:

“I’m confident working with our colleagues at the SFA that we can arrive at a review body which satisfies… most people. You won’t ever satisfy everybody in Scottish football. That’s the biggest given there is.”

This almost sounds defeatist, and Mr Topping is likely to be delighted he will be playing no part in the process.

Scottish football is so filled with agenda, bile, misinformation and petty-minded thinking that Topping admits half the battle is actually managing to secure a review body which itself is not riddled in bias.

Then even if such a board is assembled, not everyone will be happy with it anyway.

It does seem like a veiled garb at how entrenched Celtic and their interests are in Scottish football – that it will be extremely difficult to find a board which does not cede towards their agendas.

But equally one which really is centric is likely to wind up those that way inclined because a completely impartial board which caters for the widest range of views will probably come out with a fair result.

And that would be terrible.

Topping is a big loss to our game.

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Those clubs and their fans will do their utmost to remove as much of RFC' history as is possible – that also is a given. They will do it under their favourite stance of 'sporting integrity', when we all know that, that stance could not be further from the truth, and that hatred, bigotry and jealousy is the driving force.

    The best and most reliable means to stop this is by hitting those clubs in the pocket, and by doing so the sporting integrity will soon vanish into the ether. Rangers fans should boycott those clubs who are most vociferous about removing RFC history – perhaps RFC could set up screens at Ibrox during away games where RFC fans could watch the game whilst giving their monies back to the club rather than those who truly hate us and want to see us suffer time and time again.

    PS – when will the media investigate DD and all his dodgy dealings? The Toiseach has investigated him several times, and a bank he owns in Europe has been heavily fined for tax evasion. The Toiseach has previously stated that he can never have any dealings with betting shops in Eire – and yet in Scotland there is hardly a mention of him or his ill-gotten gains.

    • This post is part of the problem. You don't move on by continually saying 'aye but, whit aboot your lot….'. Take the moral high ground and just move on, every big club either has, or had, it's issues, continually dragging them up helps no one.

    • I have suggested this before, boycotting and beaming games back to ibrox,but we have too many fans that will say i go where i want to go,they forget that these people tried to put us out of business,personally i will never forget that,do the boycott for one season and watch them grovel.

    • why doesnt mr murray pay the ebt tax bill and be done with it .he owes the fans that much .david murray worst thing that ever happened to rangers. not a peep out him last 5 years .i say we go and play in england or n. ireland that will finish scottish football forever .w,a,t,p

  2. It is very difficult to move on and take a higher level of ground when all one or two around us are still trying to get us ' done' Its really sickening . I'm glad we have at last got someone on the SPFL Board , the SFA are another matter, totally manipulated by Liewell and his aims for the rotten mob … It will be another hard fight to get the final nail in this bloody disrespectful and disgraceful coffin … Bastards WATP …

  3. Andy – do you not think that cfc should be leading from the front and condemning ALL who want to remove RFC history – now that would be taking the moral high ground, instead of hiding behind their support, as by saying nothing gives credence to their 'sporting integrity!!'

    • you nailed it,while we do not want to lower to their standards, I firmly beleive 2 can play that game in relation to celtics tax avoidence in the 70/80's. we need to fight fire with fire and start a campaign from the marble staircase down to demand investigations into pacific shelf's dodgy past. mabye celtic fans will support us if we campaign to award gers the champins league trophy from 92/93 based on sporting integrity and improper &financial fraud. my arse they would and that includes the media and football athoruties. it's RANGERS and personal.

    • Matt, as much as I'd love to see Celtic do this, as would my Celtic supporting family and friends, the reality is that PL loves to play to the gallery and as long as there are morons on the terraces (I know) at Parkhead and PL is in a job I just don't see that happening. Doesn't mean we can't be the bigger person (or people :)) tho'.

  4. It's funny to hear them crying about wanting to get UEFA involved… you know the same UEFA that condemned rangers being put down the leagues and saying it was wrong… 😂

  5. Everybody needs to move on, assuming nothing chaneges ( of course it will, the world, Scotland, football) then in 20, 50 100 years the problem times, whether it is the 70 and 80's or the 90's will not matter a jot, we could have won the league 80 out of the next 100, well it would be great 0, but all the issue and hassle and who was right or wrong regarding EBT's would not matter and quite honestly no-one would or will care. Far better, like we appear to be trying to do, is for everyone to just let it go, the fact that we are even rising to the discussion suggests it might actually hinder our main goal, to be back to where we belong.J

  6. Sporting Integrity my brown eye!!
    When we had to play 9 games in 23 days while representing our country in a European Final, the reason games could not be delayed was it would impact on Celtic's tour of Japan.
    Does anybody remember how that tour went? have you googled the results?
    Aye right
    dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/other-sports/celtics-japanese-tour-plans-set-972536

    Sporting Integrity – Don't make me laugh

  7. As a celtic fan i agree somewhat. Title stripping would be a waste of time who would get the titles as we dont want them

    No fines could be given as legally whether its the same club or not to the fans in the eyes of the law it isnt in a business sense

    If your fans hate the sfa as much as we do celtic and rangers should both refuse tickets for any cup games at hamdump. See how they like that

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