DAVE KING has challenged the SFA to reveal if Gary Hughes had any influence in the Notice of Complaint handed out by the Scottish FA Compliance Officer last month.
Last night Hughes announced that he would not be standing for re-election for his role as an Non-Exec Director at the SFA at Wednesday’s AGM. This happened after he returned from holiday to deal with fas-out from King’s team releasing a 12 year old press cutting from a trade newspaper in which he referred to The Great Unwashed as The Great Unwashed.
King wanted Hughes, an independent non-executive director at the SFA in 2015 to be suspended and an investigation launched into the biggest scandal to rock Scottish football this century (you would have thought so reading the MSM).
King continued his offensive and his next target was the SPFL’s new chairman Murdoch MacLennan. King claimed that there were conflict of interest and non-disclosure issues following his appointment to the board of INM, a media firm where Celtic shareholders Dermot Desmond and Denis O’Brien have stakes.
Big important matters then, so it would almost be rude to mention more trivial matters such as the UEFA licence application made by the old Rangers – King was a director – in 2011.
After stonewalling the matter for years the SFA were forced to act after evidence was given under oath by former Rangers Directors in the Craig Whyte fraud trial. Whyte was found not guilty but the evidence heard in the High Court meant that the SFA were forced to examine the matter again.
And when the Compliance Officer – eventually – issued a notice of complaint against the Ibrox club, King and Co were furious.
“Scottish football is, once again, being directed by individuals intent on harming the Scottish game, Rangers Football Club and its supporters by pursuing a course that has no sensible purpose or reasonable prospect of success,” they said in a statement.
And now they want to know what role Hughes had in all of the above. Another statement today:
“Rangers notes that Gary Hughes will not be standing again for the Scottish FA’s Board. Hopefully this decision augurs well for the Scottish FA under the stewardship of its new Chief Executive Officer.
“However, Rangers will be seeking a review of the SFA’s procedures for such appointments because it is vitally important that those who do stand for election to independent posts in particular are indeed truly independent.
“Rangers shall also be asking the SFA to review whether Mr Hughes was party to any discussions regarding the ridiculous Notice of Complaint brought against the Club.
“Furthermore, Rangers must be assured that no actions taken by Mr Hughes during the period of his appointment could have impacted negatively on our Club.”
So at last Dave King is getting to the point. Desperate measures…
