Jim Farry
Encyclopedia
James "Jim" Farry served as chief executive of the Scottish Football Association
from 1990 to 1999. Farry was forced to leave that post due to a dispute with Celtic
over the registration of Portuguese
player Jorge Cadete
.
, before working as a landscape gardener, milkman and window cleaner. He first joined the Scottish Football Association
in 1972 as an administration assistant. In the late 1970s he was appointed secretary of the Scottish Football League
, a position he held for over 10 years. Farry earned a reputation as an efficient administrator during his stint as league secretary. When the same position at the SFA became vacant in 1990, he was appointed as the successor to the departing Ernie Walker.
. The 'new Hampden' as it was termed, drew both support and criticism, with opinion divided over the need for a dedicated national stadium within Scotland. As the stadium is used at club level by Queen's Park
, an amateur team currently playing in the lower divisions and possessing limited support, some footballing figures had argued that an existing stadium could have served as a home for the Scottish national team indefinitely. Alternatively, supporters of the stadium have pointed to the awarding of UEFA elite status and the hosting of a number of high profile matches, most notably the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final
and the 2007 UEFA Cup Final
, as proof of the renovation's success.
and Belarus
on the day of the Princess's funeral. He later revealed that he had been advised by Buckingham Palace to let the game go ahead; however after a hostile reaction from the media and certain sections of society, the match was eventually rescheduled. Labour
MP Jimmy Hood
and the Daily Record
newspaper called on Farry to resign, while Rangers players Ally McCoist
, Andy Goram
and Gordon Durie
had refused to play in the match if it had been played on the day of the funeral.
managing director and majority shareholder Fergus McCann
concerning the registration of Portuguese
player Jorge Cadete
in 1996. A player must be registered with the SFA
before he is permitted to play in matches in Scotland. A delay in the registration had forced Cadete to miss a Scottish Cup
semi-final against their Old Firm
rivals Rangers
, which Celtic lost 2–1. McCann claimed that the delay was deliberate and the commission ruled in his favour. On 8 March 1999, Farry was sacked for gross misconduct.
.
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
from 1990 to 1999. Farry was forced to leave that post due to a dispute with Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
over the registration of Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
player Jorge Cadete
Jorge Cadete
Jorge Paulo Cadete Santos Reis , known as Cadete, is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a striker....
.
Early life
Farry attended school in East KilbrideEast Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
, before working as a landscape gardener, milkman and window cleaner. He first joined the Scottish Football Association
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
in 1972 as an administration assistant. In the late 1970s he was appointed secretary of the Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
, a position he held for over 10 years. Farry earned a reputation as an efficient administrator during his stint as league secretary. When the same position at the SFA became vacant in 1990, he was appointed as the successor to the departing Ernie Walker.
SFA chief executive
While chief executive, Farry oversaw the project to renovate Scotland's national football stadium Hampden ParkHampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
. The 'new Hampden' as it was termed, drew both support and criticism, with opinion divided over the need for a dedicated national stadium within Scotland. As the stadium is used at club level by Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
, an amateur team currently playing in the lower divisions and possessing limited support, some footballing figures had argued that an existing stadium could have served as a home for the Scottish national team indefinitely. Alternatively, supporters of the stadium have pointed to the awarding of UEFA elite status and the hosting of a number of high profile matches, most notably the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final
2002 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2002 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The show-piece event was contested between Bayer Leverkusen of Germany and Real Madrid of Spain at the Hampden Park in Glasgow, on Wednesday, 15 May 2002, to...
and the 2007 UEFA Cup Final
2007 UEFA Cup Final
-Match statistics:*-See also:*2006–07 UEFA Cup*UEFA Intertoto Cup*2007 UEFA Champions League Final...
, as proof of the renovation's success.
Princess of Wales Controversy
In 1997, Farry attracted criticism from some parts of the media in the aftermath of the death of Diana Princess of Wales, after he publicly rejected calls to cancel a scheduled international match between ScotlandScotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
on the day of the Princess's funeral. He later revealed that he had been advised by Buckingham Palace to let the game go ahead; however after a hostile reaction from the media and certain sections of society, the match was eventually rescheduled. Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP Jimmy Hood
Jimmy Hood
James "Jimmy" Hood is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Lanark and Hamilton East since 2005...
and the Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
newspaper called on Farry to resign, while Rangers players Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist
Alistair Murdoch "Ally" McCoist, MBE ; 24 September 1962) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Rangers in Scotland....
, Andy Goram
Andy Goram
Andrew Lewis Goram is a former Scotland international association football goalkeeper. He started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian, but he is best remembered for playing for Rangers during the 1990s, when he earned the moniker "The Goalie"...
and Gordon Durie
Gordon Durie
Gordon Scott Durie , known as Jukebox after the TV programme 'Jukebox Jury', is a Scottish former professional footballer, a utility player who usually played as a striker.- Playing career :...
had refused to play in the match if it had been played on the day of the funeral.
Jorge Cadete
In 1999, an independent commission was called to examine allegations made by the then CelticCeltic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
managing director and majority shareholder Fergus McCann
Fergus McCann
Fergus McCann is a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and entrepreneur.McCann's wealth stemmed initially from a golf vacation company, based in Montreal and Phoenix. He is best known for his involvement in Celtic F.C., the football club based in Glasgow. He acquired a 51% controlling stake in the...
concerning the registration of Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
player Jorge Cadete
Jorge Cadete
Jorge Paulo Cadete Santos Reis , known as Cadete, is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a striker....
in 1996. A player must be registered with the SFA
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
before he is permitted to play in matches in Scotland. A delay in the registration had forced Cadete to miss a Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
semi-final against their Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
rivals Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, which Celtic lost 2–1. McCann claimed that the delay was deliberate and the commission ruled in his favour. On 8 March 1999, Farry was sacked for gross misconduct.
Life after the SFA
As of 2009, Farry was employed as a business development manager by medium sized construction and refurbishment firm AKP Scotland Limited, based in East KilbrideEast Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
.