SPFL: “No evidence of improper behaviour” during vote fiasco

Karyn McCluskey, SPFL Independent Non-Executive Director. | Freelance

The SPFL has announced that there was “no evidence of improper behaviour” by any its staff during the voting fiasco which left Dundee with the casting vote on a resolution to end the leagues early.

It follows an examination of phone records, texts and emails by auditors Deloitte.

Rangers led calls for an independent inquiry into the league governing body’s handling of the vote to end the season and also called for chief executive Neil Doncaster and legal advisor Rod McKenzie to be suspended while they are the “subject of forensic examination”.

The SPFL today revealed that it had commissioned Deloitte to look into the events of Friday 10 April when the ‘result’ of the clubs’ ballot was announced before all the votes had been cast. The enquiry was to ensure “complete probity and independence”, said the league.

Dundee’s vote had not been received by the league despite being sent and was later found to have been stuck in the SPFL’s email quarantine system.

Between the vote being cast and the SPFL finding it, Dundee had asked for it to be discounted. Evidence later emerged that Dundee had voted against the proposal on the ‘lost’ ballot paper.

The Dens Park club finally lodged their vote the following week, but this time in favour of the SPFL proposal and thus ensuring the league seasons in the Championship, League 1 and League 2 were ended early, with SPFL Board also given the mandate to end the Premiership if the season could not be completed.

In an open letter published today, SPFL Independent Non-Executive Director Karyn McCluskey said: “Deloitte’s examination of phone records, mobile communications (including texts) and email data has identified no evidence of improper behaviour by SPFL personnel concerning the submission of the Dundee FC vote.

“I hope that Scottish football will now focus on the significant issues that face our game, otherwise many clubs may not survive this period.

“We will have to be forward-thinking, and work collegiately to quickly present ideas and proposals to Scottish Government and others which will enable Scottish football to recover and progress.

“Make no mistake, this is a critical time for all clubs, and we must concentrate on what is important to the future of our game.”

The letter also gave a timeline of events surrounding the vote on 10 April.

McCluskey added: “In order to ensure complete probity and independence during this process, on Thursday 16 April, Deloitte LLP, a leading global provider of audit and assurance services, was appointed by the SPFL’s independent non-executive directors to carry out a comprehensive and independent investigation into the factual chronology relating to Dundee FC’s return.”

Sequence of key events on 10 April 2020, according to SPFL:

1. An SPFL Board Meeting commenced at 17:00 on Friday 10 April 2020. At the start of the meeting 38 returns had been identified as received, and 1 further return was received during the meeting at 17:10, bringing the total number of returns to 39.

Ladbrokes Premier: 10 returns in favour, 1 against

Ladbrokes Championship: 7 returns in favour, 2 against

Ladbrokes Leagues One and Two: 16 returns in favour, 3 against

It was noted during the meeting that one vote remained outstanding from the Premiership, one from the Championship, and one from Leagues One and Two.

2. The Board meeting concluded at around 17:15.

3. At 17:15, Neil Doncaster called Dundee FC Managing Director, John Nelms, and left a message asking whether Dundee FC intended to submit a return.

4. At 17:39, Neil Doncaster had a conversation with John Nelms and confirmed that as far as he knew, no vote had been returned from Dundee FC. John Nelms thought Dundee FC’s vote may have been returned, but would make enquiries.

5. At 17:50, Eric Drysdale (Dundee FC Club Secretary) spoke to Iain Blair (SPFL’s Company Secretary and Director of Operations) asking whether Dundee FC’s return had been received. Iain Blair confirmed that it had not.

6. At 18:00, a text was received by Iain Blair, from Eric Drysdale, intimating that the Dundee FC vote should not be considered as cast.

7. At around 20:30, Ian Blair accessed the SPFL’s email quarantine system (which is a feature of the email system operated by a separate third party) at the suggestion of Rod Mackenzie and identified an unread email from Eric Drysdale that had been sent at 16:48 on 10 April 2020. Iain Blair released the quarantined email and it appeared in his SPFL email inbox at 20:55. Prior to identifying the quarantined email at around 20:30, no one from the SPFL had

seen the email from Eric Drysdale.

Deloitte’s examination of phone records, mobile communications (including texts) and email data

has identified no evidence of improper behaviour by SPFL personnel concerning the submission of

the Dundee FC vote.

I hope that Scottish football will now focus on the significant issues that face our game, otherwise

many clubs may not survive this period.

We will have to be forward-thinking, and work collegiately to quickly present ideas and proposals to

Scottish Government and others which will enable Scottish football to recover and progress.

Make no mistake, this is a critical time for all clubs, and we must concentrate on what is important

to the future of our game.

Yours faithfully,

Karyn McCluskey

SPFL Independent Non-Executive Director

For Background

Karyn McCluskey worked in numerous police forces for 23 years, latterly as Head of Intelligence

Analysis for Strathclyde Police.