Scottish government not committed to football regulator - but door remains open
- Published
Hampden Park is the current seat of power for Scottish football
Scottish sport minister Maree Todd says she will not commit to the introduction of an independent regulator for football, but stressed that the door remains open to the possibility.
MSPs debated the issue at the Scottish Parliament after a motion brought by the SNP's Ben MacPherson following a call from supporters groups.
"I would want to consider whether any such regulator would operate across sports governing bodies rather than being specifically about football," Todd said.
Fans groups have been asking for Scotland to follow England's lead after a bill was passed at Westminster last year paving the way for a new watchdog in the English game.
Their calls had cross party support, with Conservative leader and Scottish FA referee Douglas Ross saying the idea of a regulator should be explored.
"I cannot commit to the establishment of an independent regulator," Todd said.
" A lot of work needs to be done to understand how that would operate, how it would be appointed and funded and what the specific role would be.
"Equally, the door is not by any means closed on this and, if a strong case can be made as to why it was necessary and why other measures short of regulation couldn't be implemented, I am absolutely content to continue the conversation."
Earlier, Labour's Richard Leonard delivered a stinging attack on Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell, who told a committee last year that a regulator here is not needed.
"Anyone who witnessed the chief executive of the SFA giving evidence to this parliament just last month would have seen an organisation seemingly in denial," he said.
"Ian Maxwell claimed that the Scottish game does not have the same financial failings as the game in England. Well, I'm bound to ask, what about Gretna in 2008?
"What about Glasgow Rangers in 2012 and what about Dunfermline Athletic in 2013?"
The Scottish Football Supporters Association published a fan review last year in which there was a call for greater transparency.
They have been angered by the governing bodies' refusal to engage with them.
The SFA says its governance of the game is robust and will continue conversations with supporters and other stakeholders to progress the game.