Glasgow football club threatened with being thrown out of their grounds over disgraced David Goodwillie

Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken says Glasgow United could be kicked out after David Goodwillie played for the side in a friendly match

David Goodwillie playing for Glasgow United. Image: Ross MacDonald/SNS Group.

The leader of Glasgow City Council has threatened to kick a city football team out of their grounds if they sign disgraced David Goodwillie.

Striker Goodwillie, 34, was ruled by a judge in a civil court in 2017 to have raped a woman while on a night out back in 2011.

Last week Goodwillie played for Glasgow United FC in a friendly match, and although the club has not confirmed whether or not he will be officially signed, it said he “deserves a chance”.

David Goodwillie at a Raith Rovers match. Image: Euan Cherry/SNS Group.

Now Susan Aitken, council leader, says ninth-tier Glasgow United FC could be forced to leave their grounds at Greenfield in the city’s Shettleston area if they sign the player.

In a statement Ms Aitken said: “David Goodwillie has been found, in court, to be a rapist.

“However, in more than 12 years, he has never once shown any kind of contrition or remorse.

“Any club that signs him is making a very clear statement about its attitude to the safety of women and girls - both in sport and in its community.

“It would be an outrageous decision, wholly at odds with how community facilities like Greenfield should be run.

“I’ve asked officers to look at the council’s agreement with Glasgow United and made it clear that I’m ready for the city to walk away.”

Goodwillie and fellow Dundee United footballer David Robertson were found by a judge in a civil court to have raped a 30-year-old woman in West Lothian after a night out in Bathgate in 2011. Both men had to pay £100,000 in damages to the woman.

Criminal charges against Goodwillie were dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Days after the civil court ruling in 2017 he left Plymouth “by mutual consent” and signed for Clyde.

Last year there was widespread outrage when Fife side Raith Rovers signed Goodwillie from Clyde, as many board members resigned, the women’s team rebranded themselves, and condemnation from major club sponsor Val McDermid. He was later released from his contract without playing a match.

And last month Sorrento FC in Australia backtracked on signing Goodwillie after a public backlash.

This comes after Goodwillie appeared on the Anything Goes podcast with James English to protest his innocence.

He said: “I’m an innocent man.

“I still say to this day, I’m walking about free, I’m not on the sex offenders’ register, I’ve not got any charges for this, I don’t even have a criminal record any more.

“I’ve cleaned up my act and I’ve tried to be a better person.”

He added: “This case wasn’t violent, this was three people drunk, having consensual sex, what was happening in front of me was normal, she was talking, laughing, joking, joining in.

“So for her to say she can’t remember that, it’s hard for me to live with because I’m thinking if I could only show you the way you were acting, we had no idea that you were going to wake up in the morning and not remember this.”