DAVID GOODWILLIE has been BANNED from entering Broadwood Stadium - where Clyde play their home matches.
The striker, 32, re-joined Clyde on loan from Raith Rovers earlier this week following a controversial transfer to the Kirkcaldy club.
The shamed former Scotland cap was ruled to be a rapist by a judge in a civil court back in 2017, as he and fellow ex-Dundee United team-mate David Robertson were ordered to pay Denise Clair £100,000 in damages.
Raith's signing of Goodwillie sparked fury across the football community and further afield.
Club director Bill Clark, who is a lifelong Rovers fan, quit his role along with supporter-director Andy Mill.
Celebrity fan and major sponsor of the club, Val McDermid, ended her association with the club over the incident.
The Championship outfit's ladies team also cut all official ties with the club, as they made themselves a separate entity in light of the move.
The council can confirm that it has written to Clyde FC this afternoon and have exercised our rights under the terms of our contract with Clyde FC for their use of Broadwood Stadium.
— NorthLanCouncil (@nlcpeople) March 3, 2022
Full statement here:https://t.co/W4HYQdrXTh pic.twitter.com/0td2uvdKw4
Now, with Goodwillie back at League One Clyde, it appears further controversy has followed.
A statement from North Lanarkshire Council has said that the player will NOT be allowed to enter Broadwood Stadium, where Clyde play their home matches.
The short response from the council warns that if Goodwillie does enter, the contract the club has with the local authority will be cancelled immediately.
Regardless of whether Goodwillie sets foot on the premises or not though, the council has told Clyde that they will not renew their contract to lease out Broadwood once it expires in May 2023.
It reads: "The council can confirm that it has written to Clyde FC this afternoon. We have exercised our rights under the terms of our contract with Clyde FC for their use of Broadwood Stadium, in particular the clause which entitles the council to refuse entry to the stadium to any individual on the grounds of undesirable behaviour.
"We have informed the club that David Goodwillie must not be permitted access to the stadium, for any purpose, with immediate effect.
"Should Mr Goodwillie enter the stadium, we will consider the contract to have been breached and we will take immediate steps to terminate it.
"In addition, we have informed Clyde FC that the council intends not to renew the lease with the club when the contract for the use of Broadwood Stadium expires in May 2023.
"The council utterly condemns all and any violence towards, or abuse of, women. We offer a range of services to support women who experience abuse, through Rape Crisis Lanarkshire and Aura, and we would urge anyone in this position to make contact.
"The council believes in rehabilitation, and has services which provide this. However, Mr Goodwillie has not expressed any contrition in relation to the rape which the court found he had committed in the civil action against him. In re-signing Mr Goodwillie, Clyde FC has not acknowledged that background or community concerns, instead choosing to focus on enabling Mr Goodwillie to play football.
"We regret that this action is necessary. However, the council has a responsibility to the wider community to act, and to send a clear signal that abuse must not be tolerated.
"We also note that some people have questioned why the council is only taking action now given that Mr Goodwillie has played for Clyde for a number of years. For clarity, the stadium was previously under the control of North Lanarkshire Leisure Ltd which, while previously paid by the council for management of a range of services and facilities, is a separate legal entity. The council was unable to direct the company in relation to this matter. The stadium, and all the services of the company, have reverted to direct council control."
In a further development today, Clyde Ladies FC have said their players no longer wish to play for the club after Goodwillie re-joined.
The former Scotland man was Clyde captain prior to the move to Kirkcaldy, scoring 109 goals over five years.
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