Within 24 hours the elephant in the room suddenly made itself known with the battle lines drawn up.
It started with an article in The Times that revealed the detail of the initial letter from Celtic to the SFA. Five years on it seems that little has been done with Celtic requesting a judicial review.
As he entered a twitter row over ticket prices for the Malta match far bigger issues were on Stewart Regan’s mind.
For five years he has been trying to move on but the questions of fairness and the integrity of the game have never gone away.
Letter from #SPFL to #SFA, obtained by BBC, requesting independent review. #Rangers #EBTs pic.twitter.com/J2vqH6Dyoz
— Chris McLaughlin (@BBCchrismclaug) September 7, 2017
#SFA letter to member clubs declining SPFL request for independent review into #Rangers‘ use of EBTs pic.twitter.com/iAZvIsjP8Q
— Chris McLaughlin (@BBCchrismclaug) September 7, 2017
#SFA compliance officer to look at granting of Uefa licence to #Rangers in 2011 pic.twitter.com/FwpDFtzzpL
— Chris McLaughlin (@BBCchrismclaug) September 7, 2017
Yesterday those issues exploded back into the mainstream with one phrase showing up how out of touch and defensive that the SFA has become over governance questions.
While passing the 2011 licence issue back to the Compliance Officer buys him some time the comment about ‘raking over the coals’ is one that even Regan must now be regretting.
Effectively the chief executive of the SFA admitted that lots of mistakes had been made but it wouldn’t do anyone any good to expose those decisions!
In the cosy world inside Hampden that statement may be applauded, with so much correspondence out in the open there are skeletons from the past that Regan won’t be able to hide for ever.
