After questioning the decision making and communication process relating to the new look League Cup Ann Budge found herself on the receiving end of a detailed attack from the SPFL.
Perhaps the Hearts chief should have refused to pay an SPFL fine, announced a £2.5m going concern issue in the club accounts or issued a threat to their fellow members?
Budge’s questioning was met with an incredibly detailed statement to STV, a more detailed statement than the SPFL issued for the launch of the League Cup with no indication of when the final will be played.
Amid the statement the un-named SPFL person claimed: “Specifically, three officials at Heart of Midlothian FC as well as two from Motherwell FC received emails at 2pm, and again at 4pm, on Monday 7 December 2015, seven and a half hours ahead of the announcement being made public.
“Furthermore it’s worth noting that both Heart of Midlothian and Motherwell approved the BT broadcasting deal by written resolution at a meeting of the Premiership clubs on 10 September 2015, which made specific reference to the Group Stage for the League Cup (with the exception of the bonus point, which was debated and approved by the Competitions Working Group and the SPFL Board).
“This subject was widely trailed at general meetings where both Heart of Midlothian and Motherwell were present, over the past year.
“Consultation with member clubs on a possible new format for the Scottish League Cup began as early as 21 October 2014 when, during a general meeting of all 42 clubs at Hampden, we announced that this topic would be explored by a competitions working group made up from representatives of member clubs, including Motherwell. Heart of Midlothian and Motherwell were both represented at this meeting.
“At subsequent general meetings held on both 19 January 2015 and 23 April 2015, each attended by Heart of Midlothian and Motherwell, all 42 clubs were again fully consulted on the considerations and recommendations of the working group, including a possible new July group stage format and potential broadcaster interest in this.”
Displaying a new level of accountability and transparency the SPFL may wish to publish the Five Way Agreement of 2012 which Neil Doncaster signed upto.
While they are there they can also explain to 11 Championship clubs the licensing criteria that allows one club to continue to take part in the competition after having a £2.5m going concern warning published in their accounts four months into the season.
As a final act of transparency they could also call in South African based criminal Dave King to explain his comments on November 12 of: “It is extraordinary that representatives of other Scottish clubs – who admit the damage done to Scottish football by Rangers’ removal from the Premier League – should even wish to re-engage with this issue. It is time those individuals, who represent other clubs, recognise their legal and fiduciary responsibilities to their own clubs and shareholders rather than submit to the uninformed ramblings of a few outspoken fans to whom attacking Rangers is more important than the well being of their own clubs.”
“This is a misguided attempt (that will ultimately fail) to rewrite history and defeat Rangers off the park when their teams could not do so on the park at the time. The history of many other clubs would have to be rewritten if this illogical argument was to be consistently applied.
“Having reviewed documentation that has become available to me I believe that Rangers was harshly and, in some instances, unfairly treated in the period leading up to demotion from the Premier League. However, that is now history and I have publicly stated, with the full support of the recently installed board, that we wish to put the past behind us and move on in partnership with all clubs throughout Scotland to improve and restore the image and quality of Scottish football as a whole. This will be to the benefit of all clubs.”
Having body-swered Mr King I suspect that the SPFL may have backed the wrong horse attacking Budge, if it came to a popularity contest among football fans between the Hearts chief and Doncaster the outcome would be overwhelming.
They should just come out and say, there’s different rules for Sevco because we love them, and that’s our team.
HH
Scottish cheats
They are the same entities ( rangers SFA ) the only difference is other clubs are now seeing we were right all along. Allways cheated never defeated remember that old chestnut , why don’t we just change it to rangers were allways cheating
This is typical of DONCASTER he is more concerned about RFC rather than look after the other 11 clubs in the premier league just because the heads at Hampden have made such a botch of a job most of the problems arise from the board at Hampden you just have to look at the fiasco about having no sponcorship for the league cup for so long and also the TV rights the channels that broadcast the matches must have been laughing when they saw how much it would be over the period that they have signed up for it is about time that their was a change at board room level the longer DONCASTER and his cohorts are in charge SCOTTISH football will stay on the decline and will not have any future ……
It’s now time every Football fan in Scotland with the exception of The Cheats to boycott This sham of excuse of an Sfa.. they’re only out to benefit one club and that’s a disgrace..Its time Mr Doncaster learned “Without the rest of us Football in this Disgracful Country is Nothing”..I’m all for a BOYCOTT FOR CHANGE..It must happen for the sake of our game..Were not on a level playing field here when you have these clowns making decisions that only benefit the Crooks of this league..
The games are on the TV.
July is the trades holiday month for every area in Scotland.
The terraces will be empty, although the final, whenever that is, will be a sell out.
Hang around long enough and some bright spark will revolutionise Scottish football by taking us back 50 years to an outdated format with a few gimmicky add ons……….nice one Donkey, back to the future it is.
I’m with Ms Budge on this one with regards to communication……come on who believes a word that’s said by an SFA/SPL/SPFL spokesperson.
Mulraney last neck had the brass neck to say that Hearts and Motherwell should get their internal communications in order…………go Mike.
Is he aware that one of their member clubs has refused to pay a fine levied on them several years ago? Perhaps there is an internal communications issue between the football authorities
Is he aware that the same club for 10 years , and more, submitted player contracts to the SFA wilfully omitting details of payments being made to them?
Given that clubs have been fined and thrown out of competitions for a missing signature or date on a form perhaps someone should inform Mr Mulraney of this massive breach of rules.
Yes Mike that internal communication thingy can be bloody annoying……..when it’s happening somewhere other than Hampden.
The only people that can sort this out are the club’s themselves.
Make no mistake if we were on the run up to ST renewals then it would be a whole different scenario……….the clubs would have to respond to the fans or else.
The next round of Scottish Cup ties would be the ideal time for fans to vote with their feet, that’s the only way the clubs will be motivated to force the authorities to take proper action against the serial cheats.
Forget whether there is an EBT appeal or not, that is a complete red herring.
Rangers wilfully for 10 years and more submitted player contracts to the SFA omitting substantial payments being made to them……….a bus was driven through the rule book.
Every game where an EBT recipient participated in should be voided and a 3-0 win awarded to their opponents…..it’s as simple as that.
If that results in every title won by the cheats being stripped from them then he’ll mend them……that’s the rules, enforce them!
This should already have been done but the SFA, and the club’s, are hiding behind this possible appeal barrier.
I repeat there is no barrier, it’s the payment details being omitted from the contracts that breaks the rules, whether EBT’S are legal, or illegal is neither here or there.
Bus, hell. A battleship.
The SFA conspired to defraud creditors with the dead cheats,why aren’t they in the dock with Green and whyte?
Wish Anne budge was our chief executive.
Will take a lot for Anne tae budge that fat clown out his cheating chair. Let’s hope oor Anne’s got a trick up her sleeve… For every fans sake!