SPFL facing crisis rerun as Peter Lawwell perception problem sees clubs line up against new power proposals
Emergency plans to deal with a second wave of Covid-19 look set to fail.
Scottish football is facing up to the nightmare scenario of a coronavirus crisis re-run next season as clubs look set to vote down emergency plans to cope with a second wave of the pandemic.
SPFL chief Neil Doncaster has proposed changing the rule book to give the board special executive powers tin the event that another nationwide Covid-19 outbreak forces the game in this country back into lockdown.
If passed, the resolution would empower Doncaster and the rest of the board to decide if and when the new campaign would have to be brought to an end - and avoid the voting farce which triggered the ongoing civil war which has ripped through the game ever since the notorious Good Friday disagreement.
But Record Sport understands the numbers are stacking up against the proposal - with a number of top flight clubs already voicing strong opposition during a recent meeting of all 12 Premiership clubs.
The league’s top brass are desperate not to expose the entire game to another toxic row if disaster does strike and the virus surges out of control at some point during the season.
But with Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell set to replace Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson on Doncaster’s revamped board later this month - as his club attempts to secure a historic tenth successive league crown - there are obvious concerns over perception.
All of Scotland’s 42 senior clubs have been set a deadline of midnight on Monday July 20 to respond to the resolution with 75 per cent support required in all four leagues.
But one top flight chief executive told us: “It’s pretty clear from the discussions we’ve had between Premiership clubs that this plan is not going to have enough support to be passed.
“While no-one wants to go through all of this pain again - and clubs realise it would be easier to hand over the power to the board - it seems like the right idea but at entirely the wrong tine.
“In some quarters there’s an obvious distrust of the SPFL board because of everything that’s gone on over these last few months. While many clubs would rather not have to contemplate another vote to end the season, they are clearly struggling with the idea of empowering the SPFL board to take that decision for them.
“When you add into the mix the fact that Celtic are going for 10 In A Row and Peter Lawwell will most probably be voted onto a new look SPFL board, the potential problems are obvious
“If we are forced by the pandemic back into another worst case scenario in the new campaign it could make last season’s crisis look like a walk in the park!”
But sources on Hampden’s sixth floor insisted last night that have not given up hope of getting the numbers required ahead of this month’s AGM.
One said: “We are aware that a number of clubs have voiced concerns and that’s probably understandable given the levels of tension over the last three months, But most clubs do seem to see the sense in taking action now to prevent it all playing out again the same way next season.
“It’s up to the clubs decide what they want and right now we still think it’ll be touch and go when it goes to the vote.”
Emergency plans to deal with a second wave of Covid-19 look set to fail.
Scottish football is facing up to the nightmare scenario of a coronavirus crisis re-run next season as clubs look set to vote down emergency plans to cope with a second wave of the pandemic.
SPFL chief Neil Doncaster has proposed changing the rule book to give the board special executive powers tin the event that another nationwide Covid-19 outbreak forces the game in this country back into lockdown.
If passed, the resolution would empower Doncaster and the rest of the board to decide if and when the new campaign would have to be brought to an end - and avoid the voting farce which triggered the ongoing civil war which has ripped through the game ever since the notorious Good Friday disagreement.
But Record Sport understands the numbers are stacking up against the proposal - with a number of top flight clubs already voicing strong opposition during a recent meeting of all 12 Premiership clubs.
The league’s top brass are desperate not to expose the entire game to another toxic row if disaster does strike and the virus surges out of control at some point during the season.
But with Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell set to replace Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson on Doncaster’s revamped board later this month - as his club attempts to secure a historic tenth successive league crown - there are obvious concerns over perception.
All of Scotland’s 42 senior clubs have been set a deadline of midnight on Monday July 20 to respond to the resolution with 75 per cent support required in all four leagues.
But one top flight chief executive told us: “It’s pretty clear from the discussions we’ve had between Premiership clubs that this plan is not going to have enough support to be passed.
“While no-one wants to go through all of this pain again - and clubs realise it would be easier to hand over the power to the board - it seems like the right idea but at entirely the wrong tine.
“In some quarters there’s an obvious distrust of the SPFL board because of everything that’s gone on over these last few months. While many clubs would rather not have to contemplate another vote to end the season, they are clearly struggling with the idea of empowering the SPFL board to take that decision for them.
“When you add into the mix the fact that Celtic are going for 10 In A Row and Peter Lawwell will most probably be voted onto a new look SPFL board, the potential problems are obvious
“If we are forced by the pandemic back into another worst case scenario in the new campaign it could make last season’s crisis look like a walk in the park!”
But sources on Hampden’s sixth floor insisted last night that have not given up hope of getting the numbers required ahead of this month’s AGM.
One said: “We are aware that a number of clubs have voiced concerns and that’s probably understandable given the levels of tension over the last three months, But most clubs do seem to see the sense in taking action now to prevent it all playing out again the same way next season.
“It’s up to the clubs decide what they want and right now we still think it’ll be touch and go when it goes to the vote.”
