Saturday 18 April 2020 15:19, UK
Kris Boyd believes the SPFL should be open to an independent investigation into how it handled the end-of-season voting procedure in Scottish football.
The SPFL this week passed a resolution to end the season early in the leagues below the Premiership due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, meaning Dundee United, Raith Rovers and Cove Rangers finish as the champions of their respective divisions but the nature of the vote has led to criticism of the governing body.
The resolution passed after Dundee, whose original electronic vote of 'no' did not reach the SPFL, decided to then vote in favour, leading to Rangers releasing a statement which said that "no fair-minded person can take the outcome of this vote seriously".
The Ibrox club had already called for the suspension of SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster and legal adviser Rod McKenzie over the voting as well as an independent investigation, alleging that a whistleblower provided them with allegations that the vote was not carried out fairly.
In response, the SPFL called on Rangers to provide evidence to back up their allegations, but Boyd thinks an independent probe could be key in setting the record straight.
"Rangers have come out and slammed the SPFL board and if you were getting accused of something then why don't you open up the books and let someone look through them and do that investigation," Boyd told Sky Sports News.
"The one thing you would want to do is clear your name and if that is the case then Rangers are left with egg on their face.
"If there is nothing to hide then open the books and let someone go right through them and see what happens. For me, there have been things going on, the rules can be changed when they want to be changed and with other things it doesn't seem to be that."
After the vote, SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan addressed the reasons behind the timing of the vote. He said: "It is no exaggeration to say that this was an existential matter for Scottish clubs, with many of them telling us they were at real risk of going under unless the situation was resolved very quickly, so I'm pleased that the game has moved decisively.
"Whilst more than 80 per cent of clubs agreed with the directors' written resolution, it's clear that others were strongly opposed.
"There has been talk of voiding the season, making emergency loans and so on, but what has been agreed today is not just the best way forward, it was the only realistic way forward."
However, Boyd believes that ending the leagues below the Premiership early is unfair, citing Partick Thistle's relegation to League One despite playing fewer games than their rivals in the Championship.
"I think it's the wrong decision, for me, to finish the leagues early, especially when everybody has not played the same amount of games," Boyd said.
"If you look at the situation at Partick Thistle to relegate them, two points behind Queen of the South with a game in hand, it's wrong.
"The rules seem to be changed whenever people want to change them. I think when you look at Brechin City - bottom of League Two - the trapdoor has been slammed shut that they can't go down.
"For me, when you look at the full thing, there are still a lot of leagues out there with a lot more games still to be played than what there are in Scotland that are continuing to play on."
