SFL ready to take lead after 'alarmist talk'

Football Writer

Friday 6 July 2012

DAVID LONGMUIR, the chief executive of the Scottish Football League, moved yesterday to temper talk of a potential crisis in the game after announcing the 30 lower league clubs would convene next Friday to vote on the future of Rangers.

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Graeme Macpherson

Longmuir's pragmatic tone was in stark contrast to the emotive language used by Stewart Regan, the Scottish Football Association's chief executive, who on Wednesday had spoken of the possibility of "social unrest" if Rangers were to cease to exist, and the "slow, lingering death" of Scottish football, should the Ibrox newco not be voted into the first division.

Longmuir was confident Scottish football would survive regardless of the outcome of next Friday's vote and called for his clubs to be given space and time to form their own opinions."Passions are high at the moment but people need to calm down a bit and give the clubs a chance and let them take stock," he said. "A lot of alarmist-type talk needs to stop. They need to let the SFL take the game forward now. The clubs have to have the freedom to make the right decisions. That's my ask of everyone who has a stake in and a feel for the game. Give them a chance."Scottish football will survive no matter what happens. But I think there is an opportunity here to put some things in place that will stand us in good stead for the future."John Yorkston, the chairman of Dunfermline Athletic, also felt Regan's comments had exaggerated the extent of the problem. "I thought it was an over-reaction," he said. "Obviously there is a big financial impact if Rangers go to the first division, everyone knows that. But the SPL knew that without Rangers there would be a financial impact."The 10 SPL chairmen made a brave decision knowing full well the financial consequences of it. It's now up to the SFL chairman to make their own decisions."Rangers need 50% of the 30 votes to go in their favour to earn a place in the first division, although around half of the clubs have already indicated they will not support the motion, while Dundee and Airdrie United will both abstain on the grounds of a potential conflict of interest.An increase in the revenue distributed from the SPL to the SFL, play-offs between the SPL and the first division and league reconstruction are all likely to be offered up as sweeteners for Rangers' entry into the first division and Longmuir was confident the clubs would weigh up all the varying factors before making an informed judgment. "I think there are wise people at our clubs," he said after yesterday's SFL board meeting at Hampden. "They have been around the game for a long time. We've got the right values at our heart and I think we will do the right thing for the game. But we need time and space to give information and consider it. There is a lot of work to be done before next Friday."The clubs should be thinking about how they want to see the game governed and structured going forward, how they would like to see the finances distributed."I don't feel we are in a position of power. I just feel we are in a position to improve the game."Jim Ballantyne, president of the SFL, added: "It's a hugely emotive issue and the time has come to allow the clubs to see what is best for football now, in five, 10, or 30 years from now. The clubs need the time and space to make the right decisions."

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SFL ready to take lead after 'alarmist talk'

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