The Sevco supporters group the Union of Fans have incredibly called on the SFA to apply dual ownership rules on their club!
With Mike Ashley getting the big bad wolf treatment the reactive fans group have called on the SFA to ensure that the Newcastle owner does not ‘exert a decisive influence’ on the club in line with UEFA rules on dual ownership.
Had the SFA played by the rules over the last three years there is little chance that a club from Ibrox would be challenging for promotion into the top tier with every rule being adapted to the benefit of keeping the lights on and the flame flickering.
Back in April 2012, despite Campbell Ogilvie and Stewart Regan dining out with Craig Whyte six months earlier, the SFA announced a £225,000 fine for Craig Whyte and lifetime ban from holding a directorship at any club. Despite threats to take Whyte to court nothing has been heard of legal action
In February 2013, following the incredible interpretation of registration rules by the SFA’s Sandy Bryson, Rangers (IL) were fined £250,000 for multiple rule breaks over a ten year period for use of EBT’s which weren’t registered with the SFA or SPL. Despite Sevco’s SFA membership being conditional on repaying the football debts of Rangers (IL) at the expense of newsagents, florists, taxi companies, public bodies and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Custom’s that fine hasn’t been paid.
Without any audited accounts the SFA granted Sevco membership in July 2012 and attempted to bounce the new club into the SPL then the First Division of the SFL at the expense of all member clubs who had suffered for years from an uneven playing field against a club apparently immune from the rules.
When the SFA oversaw the merger of the SPL and SFL they conveniently dropped the rules on age restrictions for lower division squads and playing trialists with one club enjoying those changes more than any other.
Earlier this season the SPFL postponed the Queens Park v Sevco League Cup tie at Airdrie because of the Commonwealth Games 15 miles away with the knock on effect that Sevco got a seeded place in the third round draw at the expense of Kilmarnock who finished higher up the league than Sevco.
As recently as last month the SPFL denied Cowdenbeath a lucrative Saturday home fixture on the grounds of Sevco’s international commitments- only Mariusz Zaluska of the Sevco squad is on international duty- other clubs require to have three internationalists to get a postponement.
The experiences of the last three years suggest that the rules of the game are there to adapted, whatever the Union of Fans issue statements about it seems certain that the interests of those that drew up the highly secretive Five Way Agreement in the summer of 2012 will continue to do take priority over everything else in Scottish football.
Tomorrow the SFA will stage an international match at Ibrox two days after overturning their own two match suspension on Kris Boyd for headbutting.
