Neil Doncaster has been accused of misleading Holyrood MSP’s over clubs that fail to pay the national minimum wage.
MSP’s have been looking at a number of football related matters with the SFA and SPFL getting direct government support for a number of policies.
While he can go round the houses like the best/worst of politicians on most subjects the SPFL chief executive could be in real bother is he is found to have misled MSP’s during a hearing which was televised.
According to the Daily Record on December 22 Doncaster told MSP’s: “I offer the absolute assurance that, where we have an allegation that any of our 42 SPFL clubs is not paying the national minimum wage on a professional contract we will investigate because, on the face of it, that is not compliant with our rules. We will investigate and take appropriate action.”
With clubs duty bound to provide the SPFL and SFA with full details of all payments made to footballers, even EBT’s, Doncaster should be aware of any deal that pays below the national minimum wage.
The Record has been investigating claims that a number of clubs were using young players as cheap labour with hours of menial tasks covered in their contracts.
According to the Record Doncaster’s statement was entirely at odds with a briefing given to Record Sport the previous week when we revealed the SPFL were so concerned they had instructed lawyers Harper Macleod to draw up a document advising clubs how to stay within the law.
Responding to the allegation of misleading MSP’S James Dornan told the Record: “We take very seriously the possibility the SPFL have misled parliament and will be looking for answers.”
The SPFL refused to respond to Dornan’s comment.
