THE Scottish Football Association will weigh up the financial implications of keeping Craig Levein before deciding whether or not to sack him on Monday.
A decision is expected to be reached and announced just one day before Levein is due to announce his squad for a friendly in Luxembourg on November 14.
Incredibly, the seven-man SFA board remains undecided on what to do about Levein. Some members have decided he should be replaced, others are willing to give him a little more time, while another faction remains unsure despite all the likely financial consequences being provided to them by chief executive Stewart Regan. The board has been given details of probable ticket revenues and projected crowd sizes for the next few games at Hampden.
It will cost the SFA around £700,000 to pay off the remainder of Levein's four-and-a-half-year contract. On the other hand, if he stays his unpopularity with Scotland supporters, and the team's dire position at the bottom of Group A in the World Cup qualifiers, guarantees significantly reduced attendances at the remaining Hampden ties against Wales, Belgium and Croatia. If Hampden was to be only half-full for those games, as opposed to housing 52,000 capacity crowds, it would cost the SFA around £1.8m in lost revenue.
The SFA has invited yet more criticism by taking an extraordinary amount of time to come to an agreement on what to do about Levein. No decision was taken immediately after the 2-0 defeat in Belgium more than a fortnight ago, Levein then went on holiday, and only now are his employers inching closer to a final decision. He made his own case for staying on in a meeting with Regan and SFA president Campbell Ogilvie earlier this week and since then the board has deliberated, but some members asked for more information which they will mull over today and tomorrow. The delay means Levein will be kept hanging on until just one day before he is due to face the media to announce his squad for Luxembourg.
The board consists of Regan, Ogilvie, SFA vice-presidents Alan McRae and Rod Petrie, outgoing Scottish Premier League president Ralph Topping, Tom Johnston of the Scottish Junior FA and independent non-executive director Barrie Jackson.
Topping will continue to be involved in the deliberations despite announcing his resignation yesterday. He will leave at the end of this season to concentrate only on his other role as chief executive of William Hill PLC. Topping was appointed just over three years ago.
The SPL will immediately begin the process to find a new independent, non-executive chairman, with a view to making an appointment in the new year.
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