'Forensic probe' finds no wrongdoing over SPFL vote

An independent review of the vote which led to the SPFL season being called to an end in the lower divisions has found no wrongdoing, it has been claimed.

In an open letter to clubs, fans and the media, non-executive independent director Karyn McCluskey said Deloitte had been appointed to carry out a review of the vote.

It came after complaints about the way the process had been managed, after it emerged Dundee appeared to have withdrawn a vote rejecting the proposals, only for them to vote in favour of the plans several days later - but only after they knew how all the other clubs had voted.

The vote led to positions in the Championship, League 1 and League 2 being declared on a points-per-game basis.

In the letter, Ms McCluskey outlined the timeline of events, following what she called a "forensic investigation" by Deloitte.

1. An SPFL Board Meeting commenced at 17:00 on Friday 10 April 2020. At the start of the meeting 38 returns had been identified as received, and 1 further return was received during the meeting at 17:10, bringing the total number of returns to 39.
Ladbrokes Premier: 10 returns in favour, 1 against
Ladbrokes Championship: 7 returns in favour, 2 against
Ladbrokes Leagues One and Two: 16 returns in favour, 3 against
It was noted during the meeting that one vote remained outstanding from the Premiership, one from the Championship, and one from Leagues One and Two.

2. The Board meeting concluded at around 17:15.

3. At 17:15, Neil Doncaster called Dundee FC Managing Director, John Nelms, and left a message asking whether Dundee FC intended to submit a return.

4. At 17:39, Neil Doncaster had a conversation with John Nelms and confirmed that as far as he knew, no vote had been returned from Dundee FC. John Nelms thought Dundee FC’s vote may have been returned, but would make enquiries.

5. At 17:50, Eric Drysdale (Dundee FC Club Secretary) spoke to Iain Blair (SPFL’s Company Secretary and Director of Operations) asking whether Dundee FC’s return had been received. Iain Blair confirmed that it had not.

6. At 18:00, a text was received by Iain Blair, from Eric Drysdale, intimating that the Dundee FC vote should not be considered as cast.

7. At around 20:30, Ian Blair accessed the SPFL’s email quarantine system (which is a feature of the email system operated by a separate third party) at the suggestion of Rod Mackenzie and identified an unread email from Eric Drysdale that had been sent at 16:48 on 10 April 2020. Iain Blair released the quarantined email and it appeared in his SPFL email inbox at 20:55. Prior to identifying the quarantined email at around 20:30, no one from the SPFL had seen the email from Eric Drysdale.

Ms McCluskey added: "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.

"We will have to be forward-thinking, and work collegiately to quickly present ideas and proposals to Scottish Government and others which will enable Scottish football to recover and progress.

"Make no mistake, this is a critical time for all clubs, and we must concentrate on what is important to the future of our game."