St Mirren complain to Motherwell over 'unacceptable statements' made by Maurice Ross

St Mirren have complained to Motherwell over comments made by coach Maurice Ross. Picture: SNS

The former Rangers full-back appeared on BBC Sportsound over the weekend where he discussed the postponement of Saturday’s Scottish Premiership clash between the Steelmen and Buddues.

Ross called on the SPFL to make a law change which would see stricter punishments, such as the forfeit of three points, for teams unable to fulfil a fixture due to coronavirus.

Saturday's postponement was the second in succession for Motherwell having also been impacted by Kilmarnock’s first-team having to isolate.

Ross suggested teams could take advantage of the situation.

“I’m not saying that St Mirren were doing this but people can be opportunistic with how this goes,” he added.

“Hypothetically at Motherwell if we got two injuries before we play Celtic we can say that the kitman’s wife has Covid and we need to self-isolate till all our good players are back.

“I think the rules can allow for it.”

Derisory language

His comments didn’t sit well with St Mirren and the club’s chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick.

In a letter to Motherwell chief Alan Burrows, Fitzpatrick said: "I am writing to express my disappointment at the comments of Maurice Ross on the above Podcast following the postponement of the fixture between our respective clubs on Saturday 17 October.

"In particular I deprecate any suggestion that we or any other football club would take advantage of this pandemic for personal gain. Any notion that we have been “opportunistic” in seeking to discharge our public health responsibilities is a fallacy. I cannot fathom why Mr Ross would seek to publicly call into question the integrity of a fellow SPFL member club for adhering to the agreed protocols which are in place to protect players, officials and clubs.

"As we, and all football clubs in Scotland, try to navigate our way through these difficult times the comments of Mr Ross are both unfortunate and unhelpful.

"With respect I would suggest Mr Ross might want to reflect on the comments which he broadcast to the nation and I am sure he will support your fellow clubs in being hyper vigilant as we work together to tackle this virus. I would be grateful if he could avoid such derisory language in future."