SPFL Chairman Murdoch MacLennan has sent a fresh letter to every member club today, warning them that the league body faces spending ‘uncapped expenditure’ in the current tussle with Rangers, The Daily Record reports.
The Ibrox club have accused the SPFL executive of misconduct in their handling of a vote for season-ending proposals that 81% of member clubs were in favour of.
They’ve called for an EGM next month, alongside Hearts and Stranraer, to vote on a new independent investigation into the matter, despite Deloitte already publishing their findings after reviewing the most controversial ballot cast by Scottish Championship side Dundee.
Now, MacLennan has further rallied against the idea that the SPFL have acted poorly, asking clubs to question the motives of the vocal minority.
As quoted by The Daily Record, MacLennan wrote, in part: “Eight of the nine members of your Board of Directors believe the demand for such an open-ended, hugely time consuming and expensive investigation, carried out by a senior QC, to be wholly unnecessary, inappropriate and contrary to the interests of the Company.
“You are now being invited to commit the SPFL Limited to uncapped expenditure on an investigation, without defined boundaries, into the SPFL Board and its Executive team, as well as a range of matters related to a resolution which achieved a 80% plus agreed return.”
MacLennan goes on to say in his letter and Q+A, as quoted by Guardian journalist Ewan Murray: “The silent majority have overwhelmingly carried the day. Other people may be more vocal, but care should be taken to consider their motives.”
The SPFL chairman then makes it clear he feels that some clubs have an agenda at play, stating: “This was an impossible situation not of our making and it is extremely disappointing to witness clubs with a very specific agenda criticising us for acting in the best interests of the game as a whole.”
This public back and forth between the SPFL and Rangers, while critical issues face Scottish football as a whole, is a massive distraction.
Clubs, the league and the Scottish FA should be coming together to thrash out how the game moves forward in 2020 without matches or games being played behind closed doors.
MacLennan is right to urge caution with regards to why clubs are taking such a hardline stance with regards to an investigation.
Funnily enough, it’s the clubs who are losing out on titles and potentially being relegated who are most aggrieved.
For me, the whole thing is rather transparent and, hopefully, the rest of the member clubs kick this whining into touch in short order.
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