Donald Findlay: Cowdenbeath chairman critical of Rangers' approach

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Donald FindlayImage source, SNS
Image caption,

Donald Findlay, centre, was a Rangers director in the 1990s

Alleging SPFL bullying and coercion without showing evidence is "not the way Rangers used to behave", says former vice-chairman Donald Findlay.

The Ibrox club have forced an EGM to vote on an inquiry into the SPFL vote to end the lower-league season.

Rangers say they have proof of a "lack of fair play" but Findlay questions why they have not made that public.

"I'm disappointed in the way they have approached this," the Cowdenbeath chairman told BBC Scotland's The Nine.

"If they have evidence to back up what they say - and I assume they must - let's see it. Why is it being held back?

"If you have something, just let everybody see it, then we can deal with it."

Findlay has no issue with the handling of the ballot, which was supported by 81% of Scotland's clubs after Dundee's late change of heart.

The League Two club chair said nobody had tried to apply pressure on him to vote a particular way - "I'd like to see them try" - and that any criticism has been "a lot of noise from limited quarters".

Hearts and Stranraer backed Rangers' resolution for and EGM, while Partick Thistle have also voiced their dismay after being condemned to relegation.

As a consequence, a group has been set up to examine league reconstruction so that no clubs are demoted without a full season being played - something Findlay is against.

"Reconstruction is not something that should be rushed into simply to try and deal with difficult circumstances for certain clubs," he said. "Let nobody pretend this is in the wider interests of the game.

"Everyone has to look after their own club, but to say there would be no winners and no losers is simply wrong. Clubs in our division have given up on play-off games and possible promotion."

Findlay does not expect football to be played again in Scotland until the end of 2020 and that clubs could go to the wall in the interim.

However, he insists the sport needs to regain a sense of perspective when thinking about when and how it will return.

"I'm frankly appalled by the idea of playing behind closed doors," he said. "Are we really going to take first aiders away from dealing with this pandemic to sit and watch while football games are going on? Come on.

"We need to take a more ethical approach. Many people are going to have died by the time this is through. Is football really going to go out against that background and ask people to buy season tickets and sponsor games?"

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