An independent investigation carried out by auditing firm Deloitte to examine the circumstances surrounding Dundee’s vote on April 10 has found. is “no evidence of improper behaviour” in how the Scottish Professional Football League handled a vote among its member clubs to end the 2019-20 season
The SPFL board commissioned the firm to examine the circumstances surrounding Dundee’s vote after criticism from Hearts and Rangers who had called for an independent inquiry.
The subsequent investigation found that Dundee’s emailed ‘no’ vote had gone into a quarantine basket and so appeared not to have been received by the 5pm deadline.
The investigation found Dundee’s original ‘no’ vote, sent at 4.48pm, was only discovered later that same evening by SPFL company secretary and director of operations Iain Blair.
Dundee’s club secretary Eric Drysdale sent a text message to Blair at 6pm to say that the club did not wish their vote to be considered as cast.
The Dens Park side subsequently reversed their decision and voted in favour of the proposal to cut the season short which gives the SPFL board permission to apply a points-per-game method to the final league table which would see Celtic crowned champions and bottom side Hearts demoted to the Championship.
Since then a reconstruction group which would restructure the SPFL divisions to spare clubs from relegation has been established
SPFL independent non-executive director Karyn McCluskey said in an open letter to clubs, their supporters and the media on Friday: “Deloitte’s examination of phone records, mobile communications (including texts) and email data has identified no evidence of improper behaviour by SPFL personnel concerning the submission of the Dundee FC vote.
“I hope that Scottish football will now focus on the significant issues that face our game, otherwise many clubs may not survive this period.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
