Alex Rae issues verdict on ‘ludicrous’ Rangers SPFL probe dismissal
Alex Rae has claimed that it is “ludicrous” for Rangers to have their evidence against the SPFL dismissed without a proper investigation.
The Ibrox club failed in their bid for an independent inquiry into the governing body and their handling of April’s vote on ending the Scottish lower league season early at a historic EGM on Tuesday.
The Gers had previously released a 200-page dossier of evidence against the SPFL, but were unable to convince 75% of their peers to vote in favour of their tabled motion.
Chief executive Neil Doncaster has since claimed that the result shows that Scottish clubs are eager to “move on” from the episode, but Rae is sceptical about the sentiment of the senior figure’s comments.
Speaking to the Scottish Sun, he said: “I think it’s a wee bit naive to suggest that there is no evidence until you look at the full picture.
“Until you actually look at all these particular grievances, to suggest that there’s no substance to it is just ludicrous.
“I think for me, it’s important to try and get to the bottom of it.
“If people are actually accepting the unacceptable and saying let’s move on, how do we ever improve? That’s the thing.”
Does Rae have a point here?
It’s hard to disagree with him, that much is for sure.
The reality is that an inquiry will not be launched, and to that end, the Gers have to respect the democratic process that has made that decision.
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t questions still to be answered.
Rangers may not have got the 75% of votes that they needed, but there were still 30.95% of Scottish clubs who supported their calls for an investigation.
That means that nearly one in three clubs are not satisfied with the SPFL, and while that may not be a significant enough number to force an inquiry, it is still a sizeable enough portion to suggest that something has to change in the Scottish game.
Hopefully, the governing body will recognise this and act accordingly, but given Doncaster’s rhetoric – clearly aimed at putting the matter to bed as soon as possible – you wouldn’t bet on it.
In other Rangers news, Ibrox View: Reported £9m asking price for mooted Gers target Grbic seems like fair deal.