The clue is always in the title for me. The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of the game in this country. “Nothing to do with us, mate,” is not a satisfactory degree of governance in my estimation.
But that was the rough outline of what the SFA’s chief executive Ian Maxwell had to say at their AGM on Tuesday about the ongoing and long-running row between the SPFL and Rangers over the contentious league sponsorship deal with used car sales firm cinch. Rangers want the SFA to launch an investigation into what they say is the reputational damage and financial losses they have incurred throughout the legal process that has led to the terms of that deal being redrawn.
Rangers are like that – but they do have a point about the SFA. On the one hand the governing body’s public face said: “Disputes can’t be good for the public’s perception of the game. You need to get round the table and sort things out.” On the other hand? The verbal equivalent of “Nothing to do with us, mate”.
There has to be a contradiction in terms there somewhere. If Ian’s concerned about the optics then how will it look if, hypothetically, Rangers win the league title in the season that lies ahead? They’ll get their sponsorship money in full, as per the terms of the redrafted agreement.
But on the day of the league flag presentation there would be no visible sign of the league sponsors’ name anywhere inside Ibrox. It’ll be a DIY presentation like the season before last, all home-made flag and choreography from B&Q. But Maxwell ruled out any chance of arbitration involving the top organisation within our game by saying: “If there’s a breach of regulations we get involved. We would not get involved in anything outside of that. You would end up getting involved in absolutely everything.”
But this isn’t exactly anything, though, is it? This is one of last season’s Europa League finalists and a sponsorship deal worth millions of pounds. Not that many millions, I agree, but enough of a farce in the making to possibly deter potential sponsors down the road, with many millions more to offer, from associating themselves with our occasionally eccentric way of running the game.
We lack a figurehead inside Hampden’s administrative quarters who commands attention on occasions of high-profile confrontation. The SFA tend to give their state-of-the-nation address once a year then largely disappear from view.
The leadership of the SPFL, meanwhile, was last weekend summed up in none too complimentary terms by Partick Thistle manager Ian McCall. Any champion of free speech would have to admire ‘Colly’ for the even-handed nature of his critical modus operandi.
Everybody gets it tight. No exceptions. He memorably described one of his own team’s performances as “dug meat” in the midst of last season’s belated collapse of their promotion challenge.
And he proved there was no target too large or too small for his acerbic powers of observation when he went on radio and described the SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan as “bloody useless”. Now if someone dismissed a corporate executive in those derogatory terms you’d expect the person under attack to reply in an equally-stinging fashion, wouldn’t you?
But the chairman has an aversion to public speaking that is apparently incurable. It is not necessarily a good thing. We have internal strife within the game and the governing body is saying: “Nothing to do with us, mate.”
But cinch won’t be around for ever. Sponsorship deals terminate and fresh money is then looked for. What will the sales pitch sound like if the situation involving Rangers, cinch and the SPFL worsens?
When the chairman of the SPFL has no comment to make on that, or any other matter, it gives the distinct impression that the good ship Scottish football is rudderless when there’s a need for a captain on the bridge.
