Rangers among six clubs to raise 'serious concerns' over SPFL independent review

Clubs write to SPFL demanding clarity as league bosses accused of tampering with report

Rangers are among six Scottish Premiership clubs who have raised “serious concerns” over the handling of the recent independent review into the operations of the Scottish Professional Football League.

The clubs, which also include Aberdeen, Motherwell, Livingston, St Johnstone and St Mirren, have written a joint letter to the SPFL executive demanding clarity over the contents of the report. They have accused league bosses of making changes to the report before it was sent to SPFL board members, and that only one unnamed club was given the opportunity to contribute to the investigation.

SPFL chairman Murdoch McLennan stated last month that he was “reassured but not complacent” over the findings made by independent external auditors Henderson Loggie. The clubs insist this was a “highly inappropriate” statement to make as it “did not reflect the full findings of the report”. The review was commissioned in July after MacLennan apologised to Rangers as a dispute over sponsorship involving car company cinch was concluded in the Ibrox club’s favour.

Six clubs have issued a letter to the SPFL over its governance review,

A joint statement released to the media by Rangers read: “On behalf of SPFL Premiership clubs Aberdeen, Motherwell, Livingston, Rangers, St Johnstone and St. Mirren, a letter was today issued to the SPFL executive in response to the handling of the recent Independent Governance report. The clubs hold serious concerns regarding the report's independence, transparency, and the overall governance of the SPFL.

"The letter seeks full clarity on numerous issues so that the clubs, as shareholders of the SPFL, can determine if further action is necessary. In conjunction with a draft report being made available to the SPFL Board, SPFL Chairman Murdoch McLennan hastily released a statement that did not reflect the full findings of the report. Additionally, the statement was issued without the approval or knowledge of members of the SPFL Board or SPFL member clubs.

“The SPFL Board is to meet at a future date to discuss the draft report's contents, making it highly inappropriate for the SPFL Chairman to have made any public comment ahead of that meeting. Regarding the report itself, the clubs and others are deeply concerned about its independence, given that the SPFL Executive received the first draft of the report and made changes to it prior to sending it to SPFL Board members.

“Of the 42 member clubs, only one had the opportunity to input into the report’s investigation, outside of current or previous SPFL Board members. Despite several requests from the clubs, the report has yet to be released to any of the member clubs despite the clubs footing the bill for its creation. “The handling of the Independent Governance report has brought the clubs governance concerns to a head, and it is now incumbent on the SPFL Board and Executive, for the sake of trust in those running our game, to provide clarity over these clear and deeply troubling concerns as a matter of urgency."