Hibs chief executive Leann Dempster has said the club is “fizzing” after the SPFL moved their January fixture with Celtic “without asking” the Edinburgh club.
Celtic are scheduled to play Rangers on the 2nd of January with a match against Hibs set to take place at Celtic Park one week later on the 9th of January.
https://twitter.com/LeeannDempster/status/1333464991534559232
For whatever reason – with many believing that it could be linked to a mid-season trip to Dubai – the SPFL have agreed to move the fixture to Monday the 11th without the consent of Hibs.
“Apologies to our supporters and our head coach,” said Dempster [Twitter].
“This was done without my knowledge – we said no to the original request from Celtic because the request didn’t work for our club.
“The SPFL appears to have agreed this without a call to the decision-makers at our club.
We are fizzing about this – SPFL know I am leaving soon (ish) but they still have my mobile number so a call should have been easy to do – or Graeme Mathie (Hibs sporting director) or even to our Chairman.
“Not good enough. Move to Monday without asking us?”
Celtic later confirmed to BBC Scotland that the request was made “through the proper SPFL process” and revealed that this was “with a view to arranging a winter training camp during this particular week, something which has proven hugely beneficial to the squad in recent seasons.”
The SPFL are the professional body which is supposed to represent all 42 member clubs so this decision to move the match without Hibs’ consent has drawn huge scrutiny.
The move clearly benefits Celtic more than any other but SPFL director of operations Ian has defended the move by claiming the precedent has previously been to favour the home side.
“I took the request to the SPFL board, noting that Hibernian FC objected to the move,” said Blair [SPFL].
“However, as the proposed date change fell within the same Friday – Monday fixture slot and was made by the home club, I informed the SPFL board that my intention was to agree to the request.
“As has been the case for the past 22 years, SPFL policy, where two clubs do not agree about a fixture change and in the absence of any other relevant factor, is to favour the home club.
“Both Celtic FC and Hibernian FC were advised of the change more than an hour before the decision was made public, with no adverse comment being received from Hibernian FC ahead of publication.”
Dempster would later refute that Hibs had even been asked at all.
https://twitter.com/LeeannDempster/status/1333487892816146436
“We didn’t agree – we were not asked by SPFL. I wasn’t, Graeme Mathie wasn’t and neither was our Chairman,” said Dempster [Twitter].
“Celtic are within their rights to ask, we are within our rights to refuse and the spfl ‘referee’. To referee though you need to ask both parties??”
With fine margins in the title race this season this may well give Celtic a boost in the second half of the campaign, but the Hibs hierarchy appear to have been avoided in coming to the decision.
Rangers previously lost a vote on proposals to investigate the SPFL following the end of season voting debacle which Craig Levein believes was designed to give Celtic a dodgy 9th title in a row.
This has led to plenty of suspicion about the motivations of those within the organisation’s hierarchy from the Ibrox support:
https://twitter.com/DouglasPark82/status/1333477296867586057
