Ian Murray fury over Scottish clubs’ show of self-interest

MP appalled that so many clubs created situation that could lead to 1000s 
of redundancies
Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray MP, is glad that Partick Thistle have joined Hearts in their legal action against the SPFL and hopes that Stranraer will find a way to join the battle. Picture: SNSLabour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray MP, is glad that Partick Thistle have joined Hearts in their legal action against the SPFL and hopes that Stranraer will find a way to join the battle. Picture: SNS
Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray MP, is glad that Partick Thistle have joined Hearts in their legal action against the SPFL and hopes that Stranraer will find a way to join the battle. Picture: SNS

Ian Murray was involved in a fight to save Hearts that brought out the best in people. Now he finds himself aghast at the naked self-interest of those who have turned their backs on the Tynecastle club while also ignoring the plight of Partick Thistle and Stranraer.

It does not sit well with the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland. Murray was chair of the Foundation of Hearts at a time when the fans rallied to raise funds to help the stricken club exit administration following the excesses of the Romanov regime. He watched in amazement as supporters donated life savings to help ensure their children and others had a team to support in the future.

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Now the club have been taken to the brink again due to the selfishness of owners who have been found wanting in their own response to a crisis.

On top of this is a governing body that has been exposed as dysfunctional during the course of this summer. How can the SPFL be fit for purpose, Murray wonders, if it practically gives the green light to the potential for mass redundancies while at the same time inviting the legal resistance Hearts are obligated to put up?

Murray was happy to hear that Thistle have been able to join Hearts in taking action following an offer to help fund the club’s challenge.

“Isn’t it incredible where you end up in a situation where the small guy cannot take on the big guy because they cannot afford the legal action?” says Murray. “That’s an incredible situation – no justice can be served unless you can afford it. I am just glad they are now in a position to do that. I hope Stranraer can get involved too.”

Murray still finds it hard to believe it has been allowed to come to this. He knows Hearts were poor and would have deserved to be relegated were they in last place after 38 games. However, they have been installed in a second tier that may or may not start in October following a campaign that was abandoned due to a pandemic.

The government’s furlough scheme is scheduled to finish in its current format in August, after which the financial support for businesses is tapered.

As Murray tweeted on Monday, following confirmation that reconstruction won’t be taking place: “Furlough scheme ends before the SPFL can get all divisions back. That means 100s of players, particularly young players, & 1000s of staff will lose jobs. All because SPFL didn’t see the Covid crisis as an issue to help save jobs & clubs. Demoting clubs to leagues that can’t play.”

He has not changed his views. He is angrier, if anything.

“There is no doubt that the sensible approach in all of this was reconstruction in any form that was put on the table,” he says. “But for a whole host of selfish interest reasons people have voted not to do that.

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“Here’s Hibs now talking about a significant financial problem at the club. Well, maybe having Hearts coming to see you with 22,000 there twice next season might help – that’s £600,000 alone.

“Any other industry in the world at this time is trying to protect its sector and protect jobs and trying to make sure things don’t go to the wall.”

Due to sport being a devolved issue, he cannot raise the matter in parliament. There is also a further complication given Hearts have already confirmed they have begun legal action. He is firmly behind this course of action. He argues the club were left with no choice.

“There is no prospect of Hearts kicking a football until October,” he says. “So what do you do now? Well, you have a legal responsibility as directors to look after the business.

“Scottish football had the opportunity to take away some of the uncertainty and decided not to bother. Hibs are supposed to have had an American sugar daddy coming in and they are now looking at it saying, ‘this is potentially catastrophic’. Like in any industry, you will end up with a pile of people on the unemployment scrapheap.

“The big disappointment for me is that, in the final outcome, people have looked after themselves instead of looking out for the totality of staff and players who operate in the Scottish football environment,” he adds, before posing another question that underlines how much remains in the air, even if one matter – reconstruction – has been seemingly put to bed.

“What happens if the SFA decide to play the Scottish Cup semi-final before Hearts are back up and running? And there’s no team and no staff. On a very basic employment level, if there were tickets to be sold, even digital tickets, you would have to take people off furlough to service the game.

“Or maybe they might just award it 3-0 to Hibs and fine Hearts for not turning up…”

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