Livingston demotion leaves SFL in disarray

Published on Thursday 6 August 2009 22:46

THE Scottish Football League endured a furious backlash from member clubs yesterday over its controversial decision to push Livingston to the brink of extinction by relegating the debtridden club from the First to Third Division, and now faces the grim prospect of starting a new season tomorrow with the fixture list in chaos.

Livingston announced yesterday they will wait until today before deciding whether to appeal their relegation, handed down to them by the SFL at a meeting at Hampden on Wednesday.

The league's management committee opted to strip the West Lothian club of their First Division status for breaching insolvency rules.

Livingston's demotion, if it stands, means losing playing-off finalists Airdrie United and Cowdenbeath will be promoted to the First and Second Division, respectively. Should there be an appeal, however, it would lead to the postponement of all three clubs' fixtures on the opening day of the season tomorrow.

Before Wednesday's ruling, Livingston had been due to travel to Ross County and the chairman of the Highlands club, David Siegel, has warned that he will demand compensation from the SFL if there is any postponement of what is now a game against Airdrie.

The SFL will attempt to clarify the fixture fiasco by making a statement at 9am this morning, but whatever the league has to say on the matter, it has already received a hostile reaction from a number of its member clubs.

Support for Livingston arrived in the unlikely shape of Dundee, who have had their own issues with the club in the past.

Chairman Bob Brannan said: "People know there is no great love between Livingston and Dundee, but that does not mean we can sit by quietly and watch when a fellow member club has been wronged. I have written to (SFL chief executive] David Longmuir to express our disappointment at what we feel is an inappropriate punishment. There are some very difficult economic times ahead and, if every club that goes into administration is relegated to the Third Division, we could have a very big bottom division by the end of the year."

Jim McInally, manager of East Stirling – still uncertain whether they will face Cowdenbeath, Livingston or have their game called off tomorrow – said. "I think the lot of the them at the SFL should resign over this. I feel sorry for the guys that were looking to take over at Livingston, they have been kicked in the teeth. I don't even know if our game is going to go ahead."

The decision to relegate Livingston put the club's future back in grave doubt after a rescue package led by former Cowdenbeath owner Gordon McDougall and ex-Dumbarton chairman Neil Rankine appeared to have saved them from liquidation.

A consortium formed by the duo in partnership with former Livingston director Ged Nixon were last night locked in talks with the club's interim manager, Donald McGruther. He

was put in charge of Livingston by the Court of Session in Edinburgh almost two weeks ago after West Lothian Council took legal action to reclaim a 330,000 debt.

Until then, the club had been under the control of Italian Angelo Massone, who last week sold his shares to the Livingston 5 consortium for a reported 50,000. The club's total debts are thought to be around 1m.