Scottish Premiership club Livingston have released a statement on Twitter explaining their decision to vote in favour of Rangers’ resolution during Tuesday’s EGM.
The Gers, Hearts and Stranraer called for an investigation into the SPFL’s April ballot to end the season outwith the top-flight, with their resolution requiring the support of 32 clubs.
Only 13 voted in favour, with two abstaining and 27 voting against.
Livingston were one of four Premiership clubs alongside Rangers, Hearts and Aberdeen to vote ‘Yes’ and in a statement released via Twitter on Wednesday morning, they explained their decision.
The West Lothian club cited a lack of trust in the governing body following the controversial ‘missing’ Dundee vote during the April ballot and disappointment at the lack of serious league reconstruction efforts as key considerations behind their vote.
“It is our firm belief that no team in Scotland should be adversely affected by the coronavirus crisis that we find ourselves in,” continued the statement. “It’s simply unbelievable that, on top of the challenges we face, we see fellow teams finding themselves relegated while others are adversely affected by being unable to compete for promotion. The impact of this could hamper teams for many years to come.”
“We had an opportunity collectively to change the landscape of Scottish football by creating a proper pyramid structure with the introduction of the Highland and Lowland leagues while embracing change and bringing a competitive edge that this introduction would have instilled.”
“Instead, we have failed as an organisation, in our opinion, to grasp the bigger picture and repair the trust breakdown that has been allowed to manifest for weeks if not longer.”
Livi conclude by saying that they will now respect the result and support the efforts of all other clubs to get through the current crisis.
Verdict
This is a detailed response from Livingston and it puts across their clear disappointment in what has played out not just during the EGM but also across the last two months or so.
It’s important to consider that this statement has been produced by the club currently sitting fifth in the top-flight.
There’s no vested interest in promotions or relegations here, while reconstruction wouldn’t directly benefit them.
Yet, they’ve spoken out because they want more clarity on the SPFL’s conduct and they want to improve Scottish football as a whole.
Rangers would likely point to this latest statement as yet more evidence that change is needed at the governing body.
