SFL turns down SFA help offer

18 April 2013 18:21

The Scottish Football League has rejected the Scottish Football Association's offer to help resolve the row over league reconstruction, opting instead to work on its own proposals.

The SFA offered to "get involved" in driving change after St Mirren and Ross County vetoed reconstruction proposals on Monday. The plans, which would have included the five principles of a single league body, fairer financial distribution, introduction of play-offs, parachute payments and a pyramid below the Third Division, needed an 11-1 majority before being sent to the SFL.

The SPL board has invited SFA chief executive Stewart Regan and president Campbell Ogilivie to hold talks in a bid to achieve consensus but the SFL wants to find a solution within its own clubs.

A statement from SFL chief executive David Longmuir read: "The Board of the Scottish Football League wishes to convey its thanks to the governing body for its offer of assistance at this time. We are, however, currently working with SFL clubs in all divisions with a view to agreeing an alternative way forward which builds on the five core principles.

"We would like to confirm our continued commitment to those principles. We are also very keen to share our proposals with the SPL and the SFA as soon as practical. We therefore respectfully wish to ask the SFA to work with us at this time, whilst we progress our proposals."

Speaking after an SFL board meeting at Hampden, Longmuir said: "We would like to exhaust all possible avenues of a solution within the clubs themselves. We appreciate the offer of help but, at this time, we would like to continue to try to get a solution ourselves. I think it`s only right that the leagues do that.

"On the board are representatives from all three divisions and we are now going to work on our ideas, that we have always had, to try to deliver a solution that might move the thing forward next season, maybe in a different way from what`s currently being proposed and at least make one step along the way of change.

"That's really what we are working on at the moment with the First, Second and Third Division clubs."

An SPL spokesman confirmed: "The SPL Board has invited Stewart Regan and Campbell Ogilvie to meet the SPL Board to hear their ideas as to how consensus can be achieved."

However, it is understood that the view of the Board is that it should be down to clubs to decide what league structure they want.

Source: PA