A group of SPFL Premiership clubs have come together to express their concerns over the 'independence and transparency' of the recent corporate governance report into the league's governing body, demanding to know why the SFL executive were able to amend the original draft of the report before it was presented to the rest of the board.
Numerous clubs were blindsided by the statement released by SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan following receipt of the report, with Herald Sport understanding that the statement was not seen by the rest of the SPFL board or the member clubs before it was made public.
That has prompted a group of clubs - Aberdeen, Livingston, Motherwell, St Johnstone, St Mirren and Rangers - to come together and demand answers from the SPFL, with many believing MacLennan's statement was not a true reflection on the findings of the report.
We also understand there are concerns that only one member club, Aberdeen, were allowed any input into the auditing process, and that despite several requests, the full report has yet to be released to any of the member clubs who paid for it.
A joint statement released by the clubs read: "On behalf of SPFL Premiership clubs Aberdeen, Motherwell, Livingston, Rangers, St Johnstone and St. Mirren, a letter was today issued to the SPFL executive in response to the handling of the recent
Independent Governance report.
"The clubs hold serious concerns regarding the report's independence, transparency, and the overall governance of the SPFL.
"The letter seeks full clarity on numerous issues so that the clubs, as shareholders of the SPFL, can determine if further action is necessary.
"In conjunction with a draft report being made available to the SPFL Board, SPFL Chairman Murdoch MacLennan hastily released a statement that did not reflect the full findings of the report.
"Additionally, the statement was issued without the approval or knowledge of members of the SPFL Board or SPFL member clubs.
"The SPFL Board is to meet at a future date to discuss the draft report's contents, making it highly inappropriate for the SPFL Chairman to have made any public comment ahead of that meeting.
"Regarding the report itself, the clubs and others are deeply concerned about its independence, given that the SPFL Executive received the first draft of the report and made changes to it prior to sending it to SPFL Board members.
"Of the 42 member clubs, only one had the opportunity to input into the report’s investigation, outside of current or previous SPFL Board members.
"Despite several requests from the clubs, the report has yet to be released to any of the member clubs despite the clubs footing the bill for its creation.
"The handling of the Independent Governance report has brought the clubs governance concerns to a head, and it is now incumbent on the SPFL Board and Executive, for the sake of trust in those running
our game, to provide clarity over these clear and deeply troubling concerns as a matter of urgency."
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