Fit & proper waste of time

The proposed SFA rule change, that clubs must conduct an investigation into prospective new owners, went through unopposed at the Association’s AGM, currently underway at Hampden.  No formal rules must be observed during this investigation, not even the ‘Gandhi criminal rule’ postulated by (still) SPL chief executive, Neil Doncaster, so a club can look into the matter as deeply as they see appropriate and the former owner can claim he was “duped” after the money appears in his bank account.

This does not strengthen efforts to keep unfit people from owning Scottish clubs, if anything, it provides errant clubs with a defence.  Previously it was explicitly the club’s responsibility to ensure owners were fit and proper, now the club’s responsibility is limited to carrying out an unspecified value judgement.  Tune in soon to hear “We carried out an investigation consistent with best practice, why punish us?”

In this instance, value judgements are worth as much as Ibrox valuations. It’s not the rules that are wrong, the only problem is one club didn’t respect the rules and doesn’t like the medicine.

No mention yet of the dark Fifa cloud hanging over the Association. Perhaps it’s slipped their mind.