Campbell Ogilvie has finally found his voice to join the delayed debate on the songs of hate from the Sevco support.
It took over a fortnight after the match at Hampden for anyone in Scottish football to comment on the match after the media storm kicked up by Stan Collymore.
The Birmingham based pundit took to twitter to highlight the anti-catholic songs that were sung at Hampden which included ‘The Billy Boys’ which UEFA banned in 2006 forcing the SFA to do likewise.
On Tuesday morning Neil Doncaster explained that he’d be sticking to the ‘they did as much as they could’ excuse to save Sevco from any sanctions but was wrong-footed the following day when the SPFL board announced plans to make club’s liable for the songs of their supporters.
Yesterday, Ogilvie, who sat in silence listening to anti-catholic songs for over two decades as secretary and director of Rangers (IL), joined in the debate but as well as criticising the songs decided to point the finger of blame in the direction of the SPFL and SPL.
Signs of a break in ranks between Doncaster, the SPFL board and the SFA can only be viewed as a positive move with only the departures of the key figures in the 2012 Sevco farce likely to restore any trust and credibility for the Scottish game.
Rather than mention the songs of hate the SFA President discussed supporter misconduct and concentrated on point scoring to absolve the SFA of blame.
Ogilvie, who picked up an EBT payment for £95,000 when he left Rangers (IL) said: “The Scottish FA welcomes yesterday’s statement from the Scottish Professional Football League confirming regulations regarding supporter misconduct – which has unfortunately again become an issue in recent weeks – will be reviewed and discussed next month.
“It is important that the game takes a collective stance against the kind of unacceptable behaviour that depicts Scottish football in a negative light, especially when there is a will among the respective bodies and member clubs to improve Scottish football’s entertainment value to supporters and sponsors.
“It was for this reason that the Scottish FA Board raised a resolution at its Annual Meeting in 2013. This resolution was not carried by the membership.
“Last year, a working group of representatives from the Scottish FA and SPFL approved a new set of guidelines intended to bridge the gap between existing rules and strict liability but, despite the best intentions, it appears these guidelines have not been effective.
“While jurisdiction for league competitions rests with the SPFL, the Scottish FA is happy to assist in the creation of more robust regulations.”
Sevco fans will again be in the social media spotlight when they face Falkirk tonight with the match live on BT Sports.