The SFA Official Who Told Nimmo Smith That Rule Breaking Was Legit If No-One Knew About It.
On the surface of it, the SFA played no role in the Nimmo Smith investigation; LNS was run by the SPFL, with the SFA as the “final court of appeal” in case people didn’t like the decision. Those who say that LNS was the “final word” often like to ignore that the SFA was set to sit in judgement of it if there was some disagreement over the verdict.
But the SFA was, of course, involved in the case.
Its officials gave evidence.
It protected its own President from proper scrutiny during the case.
It helped to set the remit for the investigation itself.
And one of its officials offered perhaps the most scandalous interpretation of football rules and regulations that has ever been heard, anywhere.
No-one has ever explained how the SFA could have played a role as an appellate body when they presented evidence in the case … it makes no sense unless you look at the evidence they put up. Then you understand that these people were leaving nothing to chance.
Sandy Bryson, the association’s registrations officer, said that the “dual contracts” held by the club were a violation of the rules … but that this didn’t matter because at the time when the games were being played no-one knew that.
This might well be the most corrupt part of this whole affair; the notion that if no-one knows a crime is being committed except for the criminal that there’s no case to answer when the crime and the evidence that proves it is later discovered.
Bryson’s Law came down to this; the players were registered and that registration was deemed to be valid because nobody knew that the registration was improper at the time. Anyone who wants to examine this issue should need no other convincing that this whole thing stinks. That a senior official at a football association would make such a claim is incredible.
That it was accepted by LNS is mind-boggling.
Sandy Bryson has previous for this. Back in the 90’s when Celtic pursued then SFA President Jim Farry over the association’s failure to properly process the registration of the Portuguese striker Jorge Cadete – a decision which potentially cost us a league title and for which Farry was later fired – Bryson had been in the same role. He was clearly involved in Farry’s decision not to register our footballer, but Fergus settled for the scalp of the President and never pursued it to its conclusion.
It is clear that he should have.
It is clear that Bryson is worth scrutiny.
