George Foulkes, the former Hearts chairman and cabinet minister, last night compared the SPFL to music hall comedians Fred Karno’s Army over their handling of the vote on the end to the 2019/20 season.
Foulkes, who now sits in the House of Lords, was astonished on Friday evening when the governing body made the votes cast public even though the final outcome of the resolution was still undecided.
A statement showed the Premiership (10-1) as well as League 1 and League 2 (16-3) had backed the proposal to declare final placings on a points per game basis and award prize money – but that the Championship club had still to respond.
With the vote in the second tier standing at 7-2 in favour the entire proposal hinged on the last club – who it soon emerged was Dundee – voting for or against as 75 per cent support is required at each level for the resolution to pass.
Foulkes, the one-time Minister of State for Scotland who first stood for parliament 50 years ago and has been involved in numerous general elections since, believes that created a situation where “undue pressure” could be placed on Dundee by interested parties.
“It’s like Fred Karno’s Army,” he said in a reference to the famous music hall comedian group that included Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel.
“It’s really a debacle. Scottish football isn’t known for its smoothness of administration and its slickness, but this is the worst I have ever seen. I just don’t know what they’re thinking.
“It goes totally against any concept of running an election in any kind of sensible democratic structure. Any organisation that is running it should have a look at themselves.
“I thought the Labour party was bad at running elections, but compared with the football authorities in Scotland we’re like a Rolls Royce. It is literally incredible.”
Foulkes was surprised when he discovered that Dundee had asked for their vote – which they had learned had not been received by the SPFL – not to be considered on Friday night so they could rethink over their stance over the weekend.
The Hearts supporter, whose club faces being relegated even though they are only four points behind Hamilton at the bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership with eight games remaining, feels the overall position being known has compromised the entire process.
“They (the SPFL) should get an email almost instantaneously,” he said. “The danger if it does ultimately hinge on one club is that the opportunity for improper pressure is great.”
Foulkes is against declaring final placings on a points per game basis and relegating Hearts, Partick Thistle and Stranraer as a result and is adamant the SPFL must push for league reconstruction in the days ahead regardless of which way the vote goes.
“The solution to me seems obvious,” he said. “You either play the games that are outstanding, but that is becoming increasingly unlikely to be able to be done, or you declare the season null and void and start again.
“I don’t know why they decided to deal with it in this way in the first place. Why not just make a decision based on logic? The SPFL and SFA don’t seem to work on logic sometimes.
“We would be the biggest loser in the whole process which is why Ann Budge has quite rightly taken quite a defiant stand.
“There is argument, and there always has been, for league reconstruction anyway quite separate from this. If they use this as an excuse to do league reconstruction then some good might come out of it. But it’s a funny way to go.”
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