Inverness CT chairman backs Scot Gardiner as he blasts campaign to tarnish club

Inverness CT have hit back at newspaper reports. Picture: SNS

Inverness CT chairman Ross Morrison has hit out at a “scurrilous piece of journalism” and sought to defend the club’s chief executive Scot Gardiner.

It was reported that Gardiner had a ‘secret’ proposal for clubs if the SPFL resolution had failed.

The plan was understood to see a null and void option be used across the leagues which would stop promotion and prevent relegation.

Morrison issued a strongly worded statement stating that “there is not a scintilla of truth” in the story and that the Highland club are on the end of “a concerted and co-ordinated campaign to tarnish any club which seeks to disagree with, or shine a light on the incompetence unfolding before our very eyes”.

They called any suggestion of the club doing something which would potentially cost them nearly £200,000 as “preposterous”.

Inverness released a statement over the weekend voicing their concerns about bullying ahead of the SPFL resolution vote on Good Friday.

ICT had, of course, voted against the resolution.

The statement from Ross Morrison read:

“I would like to take a moment to offer Caley Jags fans, and the wider football community some clarity.

This morning we woke to another scurrilous piece of journalism on our club simply because we did not go along with the now infamous and botched SPFL resolution on April 10th. Of course this should come as no shock to anyone since we are enduring a concerted and co-ordinated campaign to tarnish any club which seeks to disagree with, or shine a light on the incompetence unfolding before our very eyes.

This shameful attack on the integrity our CEO in this morning’s Daily Record is totally without foundation and I will be speaking publicly later in the week in greater detail on just how far fetched and ridiculous this is. It would be laughable if it wasn’t such a crass attempt to attack an individual who, alongside myself, has been entirely truthful and consistent throughout this sorry and unprofessional debacle.

From the outset we argued for a change in the resolution so that monies could be paid out on places as we all stand in order to get help to those who desperately needed it and that no relegation should take place. A priority was that further harm should not be inflicted upon fellow members at a time of crisis. That was it and our statement on Sunday reiterated that we did not, a any time, have issue with titles being awarded. Suggesting that we were attempting to do something which would lose the club the best part of £200,000 is quite preposterous. Every reasonable person will see that.

We were asked to support a resolution with Rangers and Hearts that sought to pay out the fees on places but not to conflate it with relegation. It did that and that alone. That was the only other resolution we put forward or discussed with anyone and even then, only as a signatory.

There is not a scintilla of truth in this disgraceful hatchet piece published in that Glasgow newspaper today. It is utterly without foundation and I can tell you the “secret Inverness plan” was so secret that no-one in Inverness knew about it! As I say, it would be funny if it were not so shameless and designed to tarnish our club and our CEO. I also take it personally and we will not stand for it.

We will be looking to shed more light on this very serious issue in the coming days but we would like to thank the supporters of many clubs, including our own obviously, for their solidarity and the officials and officers of the many clubs who have contacted us with support this morning. We will reserve our rights to defend the club against all unfair and false accusations but in the meantime we have another vote to attend.”