Celtic has today issued a statement in relation to the SFA’s decision not to launch a review into the way the game has been governed since 2011.
As an adjunct to that statement, they have provided the fans, the media and the stakeholders of every club with the correspondence which has passed between the SFA and the club in relation to this issue, and it spells out our concerns and objectives very clearly.
Is it astonishing.
As this website and others have noted countless times, this is not about “title stripping”; Celtic considers that “misses the point.”
As Lawwell’s letters point out quite plainly, and as some of us have been repeating over and over again, this is about the governance of the game, the way things were done, mistakes that have been made and how we can learn from them.
The SFA is hiding behind legal advice that it may be impossible to impose sanctions; Celtic’s stance is that this is not about that.
Sanctions may or may not be imposed, in due course – that will be for a review to decide – but the bigger issues cannot be ignored whether those sanctions follow or not. Celtic is saying this is not about Rangers or Sevco … it is about how the game is run.
In the latest letter, which Celtic sent on Thursday, Peter Lawwell has described the SFA’s position on this as “surprising and disturbing.”
I cannot think of a more significant communique in the history of our game.
Celtic has further said that a refusal to conduct such a review would result in a “failure in transparency, accountability and leadership.”
Lawwell also finds their position unsustainable, and points out that it will be regarded as wholly unacceptable, not just to many clubs but also to fans.
“Given the developments of the last few years, and the information that is now in the public domain … I do not consider that Scottish football, including the supporters, will accept a position where that information is not reviewed by those responsible for governance in Scottish football.”
Throughought the correspondence, Celtic asks the SFA continually to discuss a way in which these letters may be published, to keep people informed as to what is going on. Celtic clearly obtained the SFA’s consent yesterday but I believe that in light of Thursday’s events we probably made it clear that these letters might well be published anyway, as the SFA had clearly violated the spirit of the confidentiality agreement.
This is where we are right now.
Celtic will not let this drop. We are now taking the lead in reforming our game.
This is another monumental development.
Celtic’s statement can be read here. I advise everyone to read it and the correspondence attached.