Doncaster hides behind Five Way Agreement
General Sport - Leaders Sport Summit 2012 - Stamford Bridge - 11/10/12 (From left to right) Karen Espelund, Executive Committee Member of UEFA, Neil Doncaster, chief Executive Officer of the Scottish Premier league and Heather Rabbatts, Non-Executive Director of The FA during a talk called "Governance: Are you serious?" Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Paul Childs Livepic
Neil Doncaster has used the Five Way Agreement to deny Scottish football justice.
In the summer of 2012 Doncaster, in his role as chief executive of the SPL signed up to the secretive agreement that accompanied Sevco getting membership of the SFA and SFL.
With a cloak of secrecy thrown over an agreement that impacts on every member club Doncaster his behind the FWA when he met two representatives of the Celtic Supporters Association.
Like the Nimmo Smith Enquiry the FWA has as much legal basis as the minutes of a local Residents Watch meeting.
Reporting on the meeting Joe O’Rourke stated: “Mr Doncaster also agreed with us that the Five Way Agreement (FWA) was a barrier to Title stripping. That is the FWA that no-one outside if the signatories has actually seen.
“McKenzie and Doncaster actually admitted that in one of the early drafts of the agreement Title Stripping was one of the avenues that could be used as punishment to Sevco, not surprisingly Green, and apparently more so McCoist strongly opposed that route, so that clause was taken out.”
Just as they created the FWA out of fresh air so the SPFL can publish it or send it to the shredder.
Passing the buck between the SPFL and the SFA may seem a smart delaying tactic but the cover up since 2012 is now bigger than the original decisions.
With a Judicial Review underway and the club at Ibrox wholly reliant on the continuing generosity of the house of cards is looking increasingly vulnerable.
Hiding behind the Five Way Agreement that he designed won’t protect Doncaster forever.