Hearts owner Ann Budge backs Rangers' calls for independent investigation into "distressing" SPFL vote

Budge, who was appointed as deputy chair of a reconstruction group on Friday, stopped short of asking for Doncaster and McKenzie to be relieved of their positions.

However, the major Tynecastle shareholder believes an investigation is now required to help the organisation move forward after an acrimonious and controversial episode.

The SPFL announced on Wednesday that their 42 members clubs had voted to curtail the Ladbrokes Championship, League 1 and League 2 and to give the board the power to do the same in the Premiership at a later date.

But the votes had been made public the previous Friday even though the final outcome wasn't known - and Dundee then changed from a "no" to a "yes" and the resolution passed.

The fact that the Dens Park club had submitted their slip via email only to be told by the SPFL that they had not received it after the votes were announced in a statement caused an outcry in the Scottish game.

Budge, who was upset to hear clubs' stories about the threats they received in the build-up to the vote, believes an independent investigation would allow the SPFL to put the affair behind them.

"I have been through a number of resolutions before," she said. "I know there is always a lot of lobbying goes on. It is what happens in these sort of organisations. I was very unhappy with the process, I was unhappy with the timing, I was unhappy with a number of things.

"Nobody tried to influence my vote because I don't think anyone would have expected me to vote in any other way than I did.

"But just hearing the stories - there was a lot of toing and froing between clubs - and hearing some of the things that were claimed was very distressing. Distressing is not too strong a word.

"These sorts of things were apparently going on. I do have to stress that's third hand. I was not subject to anything untoward other than I really objected to the process.

"I can't really agree with the bullying (which Rangers have claimed took place) because I wasn't party to it. I'm guessing that Rangers weren't party to it, but, like me, heard all the stories.

"In terms of coercion, I think the whole style in which the resolution was written lends itself to that claim - tying the resolution to paying money and so on and so forth. In that sense, I wouldn't disagree. Anything to do with bullying is hearsay as far as I'm concerned."

Budge continued: "I have sat on the board and I know how difficult these things are. That said, I think they made some very poor decisions in terms of how to handle this.

"I also think having realised, and I think they did realise, that they have maybe misjudged this, that there was a better way of dealing with it and instead of trying to force it through they could have said 'actually guys we got a couple of things wrong here, let's try and fix it'.

"But that's not common in Scottish football. People don't generally hold their hands up and say 'oh, we got this wrong'. There were some poor decisions taken and we didn't take the opportunity to rewind and say 'we've made a mistake here, let's change how we're doing this'.

"Do I have faith in the board? I think they're all trying to do the best they can. I have spoken to a number of them individually. Some of them have been as upset by this as everybody else has."

Asked on Sportsound on BBC Scotland this afternoon if she supported Rangers call for an independent investigation, Budge said: "I do support them on that because there has been so much negativity.

"This has reached such heights that I think without an independent review it's not going to ever really go away and people will be talking about it for a long time to come.

"But I think it would be the right thing to do - have an independent inquiry. I think we have identified that mistakes were made, things perhaps should have been handled in a different manner. I think it would be the right thing to do to agree to that indepedent review.

I have already heard lot of clubs say it (an internal review) is marking your own homework kind of approach. So I don't think it would carry the same weight.

"I don't believe there is a downside, I think there is only an upside. I do believe there would be a genuine desire to move things on. I think mistakes were made and I can't see any downside."

Asked if she thought Doncaster and McKenzie should be suspended, Budge said: "I think if they go with the independent review it's not needed. I genuinely believe that would be the case.

"You don't need to go down that route if there's an agreement to an independent review. Otherwise there are practical issues. Who is going to run things apart from anything else if this takes any length of time? It's almost as if 'well, these are scapegoats'.

"Rangers have said they have evidence of certain things. If they have evidence that's a different thing entirely. We don't have evidence. I would stop at 'let's have a review, an independent review, and then take decisions thereafter'."

Meanwhile, Budge has questioned the claim made by SPFL chairman Murdoch McLennan that end-of-season prize money can only be paid out to clubs after final placings are decided - and believes clarifying that is one of the reasons there must be an independent investigation.

"I have sat on the board and I have approved a loan to another club," she said. "So I know that loans can be approved. I am guessing it was the quantum that was perhaps involved that concerned the board. But in terms of whether you can give a loan to a club, yes you can, I know that for a fact.

"That question hasn't been fully or adequately answered at this point in time. We have moved on, we did get the necessary votes that we needed and as far as I understand the money is now winding its way to the clubs in the three divisions. It’s one of the reasons why I would back the call for an independent review. I would still like to understand exactly what the problem was."