Stephen Halliday: Scottish FA could see leading role subsumed by SPFL

People in the game should be wary of a reduction in the checks and balances on those pulling the strings at Hampden

Hamilton vice chairman Les Gray. Picture: Jeff Holmes/PA

The cross-pollination of Scottish football’s governing bodies has been increased by the appointment of Les Gray to the main board of the Scottish FA.

You can be excused if you missed this piece of news. While the Hamilton Accies vice-chairman’s appointment as the replacement for former Aberdeen chief executive Duncan Fraser was lodged at Companies House almost two weeks ago, the Scottish FA have yet to deem it worthy of confirmation on their own website.

Gray is also a director on both the Scottish FA’s Professional Game Board and the board of the Scottish Professional Football League. He now joins Neil Doncaster, the SPFL’s chief executive, in multitasking on all three of the most significant committees in Scottish football.

Three others sit on two of them – Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell, Scottish FA vice-president Mike Mulraney and Brechin City chairman Ken Ferguson.

Increased cooperation between the Scottish FA and SPFL should notionally be welcomed, especially if it can lead to more decisive and cohesive leadership after a summer when the governance of the game left so much to be desired.

But Scottish football should also be wary of a reduction in the checks and balances placed upon those pulling the strings at Hampden where the Scottish FA’s status as its ultimate authority now appears to be being stealthily eroded by the SPFL.

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