BILLY BREMNER MEMORIAL JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN

SENIOR CLUB REVOLT SHOWS SCOTTISH FOOTBALL NEEDS INDEPENDENT REGULATION, SAYS NATIONAL FANS’ GROUP

Date: 9th February 2024

SENIOR CLUB REVOLT SHOWS SCOTTISH FOOTBALL NEEDS INDEPENDENT REGULATION, SAYS NATIONAL FANS’ GROUP

 

* The Scottish Football Supporters Association has renewed calls for “proper independent scrutiny” after six leading clubs openly criticised the governance of the SPFL.

 

* These latest developments follow calls from MSPs across all parties for consideration to be given to regulation, and moves to appoint a regulator for the game in England.

 

The fact that six clubs in the Premiership have serious questions about the governance of the SPFL is the latest piece of evidence that Scottish football would benefit from independent scrutiny and the oversight of a regulator underpinned by statutory powers, the 80,000-strong Scottish Football Supporters Association (SFSA) has said.

 

The comments follow the news that half of the clubs in Scotland’s top league, including Rangers and Aberdeen, are questioning the autonomy of a supposedly independent review into the governance of the SPFL.

 

A joint statement, also signed by Livingston, Motherwell, St Johnstone and St Mirren, expressed both “serious concerns” over the report and the “overall governance” of the league itself.

 

This comes in the wake of a debate on a motion in the Scottish Parliament on 31 January when MSPs from all parties backed further discussion of truly independent scrutiny for the football authorities and those who own clubs, prompted by the key proposal in the SFSA’s fan-led review of the game, the report Rebuilding Scottish Football.

 

“We share the concern of these clubs and others across the game, said SFSA chief executive officer Stuart Murphy, himself a former senior club director.  “This extraordinary statement is another demonstration of the poor state of governance in our national game.

 

It seems that the SPFL has no accountability even to its own members (clubs), let alone to the supporters who pay for much of it and the wider public and community interest.

 

“We note that the SFA cannot get involved, as there is a conflict of interest resulting from the SPFL CEO being on its board and majority being club members.”

 

“Equally, there is no transparency at present. A supposedly independent report has been produced, but never been published. This is also the case with the much-heralded Deloitte report on finance a year ago, which has never seen the light of day.

 

“Public money should not be going into the game without it welcoming a pathway to proper, meaningful, independent scrutiny.”

 

Former Scottish First Minister and football expert Henry McLeish, who contributed to the Rebuilding Scottish Football report, added: “The door to an overhaul of Scottish football, and its proper and effective regulation, is now wide open. Many league bosses have woken up to the fact that they don’t run the game, and this now begs the question of who does?

 

“The future of Scottish football is now in play. Independent regulation is already coming into play in England. Scotland should not be left behind.”

 

—-

 

For further comment, contact: Paul Goodwin 07702 252519

 

* The Scottish Football Supporters Association (SFSA) was founded in 2015 and has over 80,000 individual and affiliate members. It is the largest supporters group in the country, and campaigns for reform and fan engagement across the game. https://scottishfsa.org

* Rebuilding Scottish Football: A Fan-Led Review of the Game was first published in June 2023. https://scottishfsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sfa-fan-led-review-2023-06-WEB.pdf

* The Scottish Parliament’s members’ debate on Enhancing Scottish Football was held on 31st January 2024 at Holyrood, prompted by the SFSA’s report. https://scottishfsa.org/members-debate-review-of-the-game-press-release/


Posted in: Latest News, Review of the Game

Tags: , , , ,