Morton chairman accuses Doncaster and Regan
The highly paid SPL and SFA executive’s painted a picture of doom and gloom to the 30 SFL clubs warning of the dire consequences for the sport if they failed to create a First Division spot for Sevco who have yet to be given membership of the SFA or produce audited accounts.
Twenty-four hours later Doncaster’s SPL clubs rejected a plea from Sevco to take over the place vacated by Rangers.
The Morton chief also repeated the claim that Regan told the SFL clubs that the SFA would prevent Sevco from joining the SPL even if the clubs voted them in.
Regan issued a denial of that claim shortly after last Tuesday’s meeting but with a mixture of mistrust and contempt for the CE of the SFA Friday’s Sevco vote now looks likely to go against Regan’s wishes.
The SFL clubs will meet again on Friday to decide if Sevco can be admitted to the Third Division after which the SFL board are then hoping to catapult the newly formed club into the First Division in return for a ‘deal’ with the SPL.
Unlike their SPL counterparts most SFL directors are of the old school who want to retain a football tradition in their town with Rae disgusted by the attitude and approach of Doncaster and Regan at last weeks five hour meeting.
In a letter sent to his fellow SFL clubs the Cappielow chief said: “Scottish Football League clubs are being placed in an intolerable position by the SFA and the overwhelming decision by the SPL to refuse to admit newco Rangers into the Premier League.
“I was very disappointed indeed with the input of the two visiting officials at the SFL meeting, which lasted some five hours. The visitors were Stewart Regan, chief executive of the SFA and Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the SPL.
“Neil Doncaster was a man who didn’t appreciate that the current problem relative to newco Rangers, and which league they should be playing in next season, is exclusively the problem of the SPL and little do to with the SFL.
“Neil was totally unable to get his clubs to accept the decision going forward that he wanted. Following that mammoth failure, Neil now expects the SFL clubs to bail him out, which would mean SFL clubs ignoring the views of their supporters.
“Never have I known supporters to be more single-minded than how they feel over this newco Rangers drama. Quite frankly, Neil Doncaster seemed to many to be a man who had lost his way and unable to get back on the right road.
“The SPL CEO made scant contribution other than trying to impress clubs that if we did not vote newco Rangers into the SFL Division One, financial disaster of epic proportions would be the experience many clubs would suffer.
Turning his attention to the head of the SFA Rae added: “The most concerning point about Regan’s presentation was he departed truth as he became increasingly desperate to get his viewpoints accepted.
“When asked what would have happened if SPL clubs had voted newco Rangers entry to the Premier League, he stated that the SFA would block it.
“I asked why that point had not been made known to the clubs prior to the meeting. Stewart stated that sometimes points are withheld until the last moment for greater effect.
“I asked, through the chair, if I could ask Regan to repeat what he had said about ‘blocking’. He responded by repeating what he had said minutes before; namely that the SFA would block any result that would see newco Rangers entering the SPL.
“The following day Stuart countermanded in the press what he had told the SFL meeting the previous day.
“It is very disappointing the SFA chief executive was unable to give a truthful response to SFL chairmen.”
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