The SFA have backed off from their threat of legal action against Paul McBride QC.
McBride made a stinging attack on the SFA after Madjid Bougherra and El Hadji-Diouf escaped suspensions following their red cards in a 1-0 Scottish Cup defeat from Celtic.
The SFA fired back with a statement threatening to take legal action against McBride and report him to the Faculty of Advocates but yesterday the SFA backed down from that threat.
Chief Executive Stewart Regan said: “Following constructive discussions with Paul McBride, I can confirm the SFA will not proceed with either a defamation case against him or a complaint to the Faculty of Advocates.
“While anyone is entitled to criticise the SFA we can’t allow our integrity to be challenged.
“Now this issue is behind us, we can concentrate on the internal and constitutional reforms which will benefit Scottish football going forward.”
McBride agreed to water down his originated comments when he claimed that ‘Officially tonight we now know the SFA to be the laughing stock of world football. The decisions are incoherent, they are, on the face of it, thoroughly dishonest.’
Speaking yesterday McBride said: “I made a number of remarks which followed the decision made at the disciplinary hearing involving Rangers FC players and their assistant manager.
“Following discussions with the Scottish Football Association, I recognise that offence has been taken to my remarks by the SFA as an organisation, its council and its staff, and for that I express regret.
“I have a lot of respect for many individuals within the SFA, not least Stewart Regan. Under his leadership, I anticipate many reforms which will be welcomed across Scotland.”
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Shockeroonie!
They’re not so stupid after all. Even though someone had to advise them not to take legal action, they must have had an element of intelligence to consider legal advice.
The fact that the SFA faced exposing it’s procedures (as PMQC put it ‘such as they are’), minutes of past meetings, e-mails, disiplinary processes,……..etc..etc, in an open court of law, would have gone a long way in making the SFA back down.
They had an awful lot more to lose than they could have ever expected to win.