Thursday 8 February 2018 18:24, UK
The Scottish Football Association has been thrown into fresh uncertainty after its interim chief executive Andrew McKinlay resigned.
Just seven days after taking over duties from departing CEO Stewart Regan, McKinlay has handed in his notice with the SFA in order to take up a similar role with Scottish Golf.
Regan spent almost eight years at the helm of Scottish football but left the SFA after failing to persuade Michael O'Neill to become the new manager of Scotland's national team.
This latest development, regarding McKinlay, means the SFA will need to fill three major posts over the coming weeks - those of chief operating officer, chief executive and a new Scotland manager.
Scottish Golf announced that McKinlay will take up his role as chief executive in May, having begun their recruitment campaign in October.
The announcement of this latest departure comes 119 days after the SFA brought Gordon Strachan's reign as Scotland manager to an end.
Their first choice to succeed Strachan, the Northern Ireland boss O'Neill, rejected the opportunity to take charge on January 22, which eventually led to Regan's departure.
McKinlay will remain with the SFA until early May but his resignation gives the SFA board another headache, as most of the likely candidates will probably have to provide a three-month notice period.
In a statement, McKinlay said: "I look forward to the hugely exciting challenge of leading Scottish Golf towards a prosperous future as the governing body for the largest registered participation sport in Scotland.
"As a keen golfer, I know the many benefits of playing golf regardless of age, gender or ability."
Eleanor Cannon, chair of Scottish Golf, revealed she and her fellow board members had been impressed by McKinlay's role in overseeing Scottish football's equality and diversity strategy at all levels of the game, as they seek to boost female participation in their sport.
