SPFL claims it has addressed ‘factual inaccuracies’ in letter from six clubs

The governing body responds 24 hours after complaints from Premiership outfits

The Scottish Professional Football League claims it has addressed “factual inaccuracies” with six top-flight clubs that expressed major concerns over its recent governance review.

Aberdeen, Motherwell, Livingston, St Johnstone and St Mirren joined Rangers in sending an open letter to the SPFL over its handling of the report following a three-month investigation by financial accountants Henderson Loggie.

A spokesperson for the SPFL said: “We can confirm that we received a letter on behalf of six Premiership clubs. The letter contained a number of factual inaccuracies, which we have now addressed with those clubs. We look forward to discussing the recommendations of the independent governance review with all Premiership clubs at a meeting soon, once the process has been completed.”

The SPFL issued a statement in response to a letter from six clubs.

The clubs had highlighted what they claimed were issues with the report’s independence and transparency and the overall governance of the SPFL. They claimed SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan had released a statement that “did not reflect the full findings of the report” without the approval or knowledge of members of the SPFL board or member clubs. The clubs also accused the SPFL executive of making changes to the report before sending it to its board members.

The probe was commissioned last summer when the league apologised to Rangers following a lengthy dispute over its main sponsorship deal.

Stenhousemuir backed the six clubs’ decision to seek answers. Chairman Iain McMenemy said in a statement: “After being assured for almost two years that the SPFL were in the right in continuing this dispute with Rangers, we were surprised to receive, without warning, a copy of a news release that seemed to be an embarrassing climbdown.

“The SPFL had to apologise to Rangers, pay compensation and legal costs, and admit that they got this wrong. Quite rightly, we wanted to know why we had gone down this now discredited route, how much this had cost the league, and in turn how much less would be paid out to clubs because of this?

“Knowing this was essential to ensure that we don’t make these mistakes again in the future. This was the basis and catalyst for the Independence Governance Report. Far from drawing a line under this issue, the entire handling of this review and report raises fresh questions and concerns regarding the judgement of those running our game.”