Chief executive Neil Doncaster says he’s still against an investigation into SPFL conduct despite Rangers offering to foot the bill, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
Plenty of Gers fans reacted triumphantly to Douglas Park’s offer to pay for any investigation if their motion is passed at an EGM on Tuesday [Rangers.co.uk].
Many believed that the governing body now had nowhere to hide – that they could no longer caution against something on the grounds of cost if one club was prepared to carry the burden in an effort to improve governance.
Yet, Doncaster is still insisting an investigation is unnecessary.
“There are always dangers when the plaintiff, if you like, is offering to pay for what is meant to be an independent report,” he said, as quoted by the Scottish Sun. “It does rather undermine the suggestions it’s going to be an independent report.”
“I think for any report to be truly independent, as the Deloitte one was as an example it shouldn’t be funded by any one individual or any one club.
“But cost is only one part of the issue. The major part of the issue is to get mired in what would be months of further investigation. It is an open-ended investigation that is being suggested.
“We [Doncaster, McKenzie, Blair and MacLennan] wouldn’t be able to focus on what I imagine the clubs want us to focus on which is trying to get the game back up and running as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
Verdict
Doncaster and the SPFL have stubbornly resisted the idea of a thorough investigation into their methods throughout this feud, so it comes as little surprise that he has now found more reasons to object following Rangers’ offer.
Surely, though, if an experienced organisation were hired to carry out an investigation, the question of who was paying for it would be largely irrelevant?
For professional auditors, it is an integral part of the job spec to carry out objective investigations.
It’s also apparent that Doncaster is suggesting an investigation will compromise work to restart the Scottish game.
Yet, the authorities have suggested for some time that there’s no chance of football being played here until August. Shouldn’t the CEO be supportive of any process that would provide clarity and restore confidence in his leadership before planning begins for the future?
Powerful statements from Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Partick Thistle, Hearts and Falkirk in recent days show it’s not just the Gers who lack faith in Doncaster and co. right now, either.
