Rangers and Celtic points deduction: BBC Pundit says key SPFL evidence will not be made public

Rangers and Celtic points deduction: BBC Pundit says key SPFL evidence will not be made public

The SPFL has responded to Rangers and five other teams on a letter addressed to league officials, accusing them of “factual inaccuracies.”

Gers, Aberdeen, Motherwell, Livingston, St Mirren, and St Johnstone all written to the SPFL with reservations over the Independent Governance study, questioning why chairman Murdoch MacLennan gave a positive statement regarding the investigation’s findings.

They accused him of acting without the agreement of members and before member clubs were briefed.

They also alleged that his remarks failed to properly and completely portray the report’s results. The clubs were also concerned about the report’s real independence, as the SPFL Executive allegedly changed the first draft before sending it to member clubs.

The SPFL has now responded, with a spokeswoman stating: “We can confirm that yesterday we received a letter on behalf of six Premiership clubs. The letter featured several factual errors, which we have since corrected with those clubs.

“We look forward to discussing the recommendations of the independent governance review with all Premiership Clubs at a meeting soon, once the process has been completed.”

A statement from the six clubs read: “On behalf of SPFL Premiership clubs Aberdeen, Motherwell, Livingston, Rangers, St Johnstone, and St. Mirren, a letter was issued today to the SPFL executive in response to the handling of the recent Independent Governance report.”

“The clubs are deeply concerned about the report’s independence, transparency, and the overall governance of the SPFL.

“The letter asks complete explanation on multiple concerns so that the clubs, as SPFL shareholders, can consider whether more action is required.

“After a draft report was made available to the SPFL Board, SPFL Chairman Murdoch MacLennan issued a statement that did not reflect the investigation’s full conclusions.

“In addition, the statement was issued without the approval or knowledge of any SPFL Board members or member clubs.

“The SPFL Board is scheduled to meet at a later date to review the contents of the draft report, thus the SPFL Chairman’s public comments prior to that meeting were highly improper.

“The clubs and others are gravely concerned about the report’s independence, considering that the SPFL Executive saw the first draft of the report and made changes before presenting it to SPFL Board members.

“Of the 42 member clubs, just one had the opportunity to contribute to the report’s investigation, excluding current or former SPFL Board members.

“Despite several requests from the clubs, the report has yet to be released to any of the member clubs, despite the fact that the clubs paid for its creation.”

“The handling of the Independent Governance report has brought the clubs governance concerns to a head, and it is now incumbent on the SPFL Board and Executive, for the sake of trust in those running our game, to provide clarity over these clear and deeply troubling concerns as a matter of urgency.”

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