‘White noise’ – Senior SFA figure slams Rangers for ongoing SPFL battle
Scottish FA vice-president Mike Mulraney has claimed that Rangers’ ongoing battle with the SPFL is like “four baldy guys fighting over a comb”.
The Gers are currently entrenched in a bitter war of words with the governing body, and are demanding an independent inquiry be held to determine whether there were any examples of malpractice during the vote on ending lower league football early amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
The club claim to have a dossier of evidence that proves there were improper voting practices at play during last month’s ballot, and are set to make the information public in the coming days, according to the Scottish Sun.
But Mulraney does not believe that the dispute matters in the grand scheme of things.
Speaking to BBC Sportsound, as per the Scottish Sun, he said: “I’m paying attention to it because of course it’s important of the context of the event.
“But in the context of what Scottish football is facing, it’s kind of white noise.
“It’s like four baldy guys fighting over a comb. It’s not really going to impact the long-term future of Scottish football.
“Yeah I understand how important it feels to those who are at the centre of it but in the grand scheme of what Scottish football and society is facing, I’ll take it as it comes up.”
Does Mulraney have a point here?
Yes and no.
Obviously, it is important that we keep an eye on the bigger picture here, and that we don’t get to a point where this dispute between the Gers and the SPFL is having a detrimental effect on the Scottish game’s long term future.
But by the same metric, leaving this whole incident alone without calling for greater accountability could be equally damaging.
Anybody can see that something went wrong with last month’s vote.
At the very least, it was dreadfully organised, and at worst, it was downright crooked.
An independent inquiry is, therefore, a must.
Without one, you are setting a precedent whereby the SPFL can do what it wants without fear of repercussions on the basis that it would be too costly or time-consuming to scrutinise them.
That could have disastrous consequences for the long term integrity of the Scottish game.
In other Rangers news, Observers ‘surprised’ by unexpected Gers approach during midseason Dubai trip.