Raith director: 'We are being bullied and the Scottish game is corrupt'

Raith Rovers director Turnbull Hutton says clubs in the Scottish Football League are being "lied to, bullied and threatened" by the Scottish FA and Scottish Premier League to accept a newco Rangers into the First Division.

Hutton says the attempts to force teams to bypass a formal application process for Charles Green's company are "corrupt", following threats that finances from the SPL would be cut off and a breakaway league formed.

He said: “It is not an SFL issue. We’ve been lumbered with this. There are rules we feel they should be followed. They [newco Rangers] should apply for the Third Division.

“[We are being] bullied, railroaded and lied to. We are being lied to by the Scottish FA and the SPL. We are being threatened and bullied. It is not football as I know it.

“It was a ridiculous document which came out last week whereby the threat was there that if you don’t vote for an acceptance into the First Division, a breakaway SPL2 will come along and those who didn’t vote wouldn’t be invited.

“What kind of game are we running here? It is corrupt.”

When asked if he agreed with the SFL’s assertion that Scottish football would face financial meltdown without Rangers, he replied: “I don’t believe that.”

The 30 member clubs of the SFL are meeting at Hampden on Tuesday to discuss proposals which would see Charles Green’s newco parachuted into the First Division, as opposed to applying to enter at Third Division level.

A presentation sent out by the league to its members last week warned £16m could be wiped out from the Scottish game if Rangers had to play in the bottom tier.

It promised an additional £1m would be divided amongst clubs in TV money if the club were to participate in the First Division, with play-offs and a change to financial distribution also proposed.

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There are 17 comments

Turnbull Hutton should be put in charge of Scottish football. One of the few people involved to come out and tell it like it is.

"lied to, bullied and threatened by the Scottish FA and Scottish Premier League in a “corrupt” move"

Sack Neil Doncaster.
Sack Stewart Regan.
Sack David Longmuir.
Get rid of the 'blazers'.

Get in people like Turnbull Hutton to run the show.

Declan Murphy 03/07/2012 Report this place
There is a real once in a lifetime chance here for Scottish football to end all this corruption and lifelong bias towards rangers fc, do the right thing now and the Scottish game will flourish. No club should be so blatently favoured its total gangsterism.

horse 03/07/2012 Report this place
This is a heart and head decision

Heart says Rangers Division 3 and sporting integrity & rules

Head knows several clubs are in finical trouble, and you don't want to hurt people not in anyway at fault.

I think Turnbull Hutton deep down knows the unpalatable truth that Rangers/Celtic were too big to fail. As to finical meltdown, I think he believes that as Raith should survive all the others will as well, St Mirren's chairman Stewart Gilmour said

"It is possible that major cutbacks may have to be made within the company, this may well involve people in the club losing their employment, not a good situation, so please accept that the club will be unlikely to be signing any new players until this situation is clear.

"Naturally we hope that if our partners mentioned above do not invoke exit clauses in their contracts we would not have to go down this route."
which is more realistic

still water 03/07/2012 Report this place
The 30 clubs are being offered £33,000 each to let the new club into the first division and then take the top prize money from them. The clubs that may have been promoted will lose out in the years to come and there will be teams being relegated that may not have and they will lose out more in the years to come.

Once they set this precedent then the if Heart or Hibs, dundee Utd were to sufer this same event then the first division would be in the same position of giving up the promotion stop to the bigger club and another team losing out on the chance to play at the pinnicle league in Scotland. Are the fans of club's in the 1st division willing to fore their teams promotion chances ?

If they set this precedent for Greens New Club then they will be held to repeat the outcome by others.

Sour 03/07/2012 Report this place
I have know Turnbull Hutton for a number of years and will say from the bottom of my heart "He is one of the most honest and fair men i have ever known"

I have no doubt what he claims is correct and true, its all in print to confirm this. So what we now have is a case of corruption, provable, in scottish football which surely must now leave the SPL and SFA open to investigation by FIFA.

For the sake of Scottish Football i sincerely hope and pray the other SFL clubs make the same stance as TH and show the same level of guts.

Well done Turnbull, you are a prime example of ALL thats good in scottish football and i sincerely hope you are 100% supported.

Overseas Laddie 03/07/2012 Report this place
Nope, too few people seem to know the difference between sporting integrity and the opportunity to give the big kid down the road a good kicking. Neil Doncaster, luckily for Scottish football is no Pontius Pilate (reputedly born in Scotland) and will not wash his hands in the face of mob calls to free Barabus. I imagine most of us have children or will have in the future. Children have no road awareness and when their parent tries to redirect them away from under the bus, they pull big screaming fits and cry "it's not fair" and the parent has no choice but to pick them up and put them in a place of safety not matter the screams of the child or the tut tutting of bystanders who only see a screaming toddler. One day all of this will come out in the wash and the people who shouted loudest will hang their heads in shame. That's if they have the insight to, of course.

levelplayingfield 03/07/2012 Report this place
Cheers, Yoda.

Declan Murphy 03/07/2012 Report this place
Raith Rovers should not be commenting on any matters regarding integrity - after all their club was embroiled in a decision which was ruled unlawful by the court of law in Scotland. Knowing that if Rangers are in his division it will be very difficult for Raith Rovers to view as the Rangers fans WILL remind them of that panel decision & it's incorrect nature.

For what it's worth, I couldn't give two stuffs about what anyone in D1 thinks, their turn will come either in 14/15 when Rangers are there by merit OR earlier when they're relegated to the second division by right of them being dire. Division 3 is the only answer for integrity in Scottish football, SPL chairmen have made the bed, time for Scottish football to lie in it, only the SPL chairmen don't want that.

bluenoseam 03/07/2012 Report this place
Way to go Mr Hutton. I no longer live in Kirkcaldy, where I was born and raised, but am proud that Raith Rovers are taking a stand.

I hope that the SFL chairman follow their lead, and tell the SFA, SPL and SFL what they can do with this attempt at blackmail.

gordonthegopher 03/07/2012 Report this place
Why are the SFA SPL not following their own rules.

Rules were broken justice has to be served.

Punishment given & served, I cant understand the problem here.

As for Scottish football, its a joke now & if they (SFA SPL) dont get act together, things will get worse.

Who does Mr Green think he is, his newco have to apply to join in the same way all others have to do from the bottom.

Its like the EPL, all their members said that if CELTIC & that nonexistent club wanted to join them they would have to apply & start at the bottom

Having the newco in the 3rd Div' will make a difference, but wont be a catastorphe like he makes out.
Other clubs will have to re-adjust their out goings. Simple as that

Andy boy 03/07/2012 Report this place
The majority of Rangers fans want to start in the third division, he's duty bound to put a case for the SPL admitting us but ultimately knows that we could give the diddy teams the moon on a stick, pay every penny of debt, solve third world famine & debt, find a cure for cancer & sell it for a fiver a shot and we'd still be the most hated club in the country.

Far as I'm concerned the only way that the charade of "sporting integrity" (TM) can be achieved is by Rangers being in the third division - even then, integrity in the SPL never has existed & never WILL exist.

bluenoseam 03/07/2012 Report this place
Heehee.
For Gordon the gopher, they'll certainly be dancing in the streets of Raith tonight.
For Declan,
It's certainly in the the streets of Raith tonight, they'll be dancing.

levelplayingfield 03/07/2012 Report this place
I agree with bluenoseam.I would also say that we have to many professional punishment experts on the matter but its obvious those experts are not Rangers supporters and couldn't care less if Rangers folded.It is now obvious that if the SPL clubs are concerned about Rangers being voted out of the SPL as it is unsure if they could be relegated to 1st div.The SKY and ESPN t.v contract is now on the line and SKY have said they would only go without Rangers for 1 year and then its bye,bye SPL.If Rangers can't be in the 1st div or SPL then 650,000 pound cheques for each club dated aug 1st will be cancelled along with 2 million pound deals being terminated for each club.Several clubs have stated that without that cash they would end up in administration so I wouldn't want to be making the decisions.

The Ref 04/07/2012 Report this place
I agree with bluenoseam.I would also say that we have to many professional punishment experts on the matter but its obvious those experts are not Rangers supporters and couldn't care less if Rangers folded.It is now obvious that if the SPL clubs are concerned about Rangers being voted out of the SPL as it is unsure if they could be relegated to 1st div.The SKY and ESPN t.v contract is now on the line and SKY have said they would only go without Rangers for 1 year and then its bye,bye SPL.If Rangers can't be in the 1st div or SPL then 650,000 pound cheques for each club dated aug 1st will be cancelled along with 2 million pound deals being terminated for each club.Several clubs have stated that without that cash they would end up in administration so I wouldn't want to be making the decisions.

The Ref 04/07/2012 Report this place
https://twitter.com/SkyHelpTeam/status/220927082954375168

"@tambritton @StewartRegan We have no plans to pull out of covering the Scottish Premier League. Rob"

Declan Murphy 05/07/2012 Report this place
This is what Vladimir Romanov has been saying for a number of years now... Scottish football is corrupt with a bias toward the Old Firm. Now its all coming out, but they are covering it up as 'support for the scottish game for financial reasons'.

This situation should never have been aloud to develop. Not just Rangers going out of business, but the stong hold they both have on the game. Steps should have been taken years ago to ensure that the game would be sustainable without they two, especially with threats of them leaving. Threats which are likely to have been only that... a threat to leave unless they get their way, ie a bigger cut of TV income.

Now, its quite apparent what the SFA think of the game without Celtic and Rangers, not much at all. Our game has been the laughing stock of europe for a number of years. And looking back, nothing has ever been done to improve it. We are paying for a 12oz steak, but getting a microwave meal from costcutter, thats out of date and tasteless!

I would be interested to see the findings of an independent review of SFA affairs for the past 20 years or so. Turnbull Hutton has got it spot on, SFL are being 'strongly persuaded' to allow Rangers newco into D1. If Rangers do enter D1, do you think Hearts or Dundee Utd would get that option if they go bust? Preferential treatment.

SFA, w..... w..... w..... I'll let you fill in the blanks!

... 07/07/2012 Report this place
It's the rise of the idiocracy.
I heard something disgusting. The government bailed out not just one but two of its big three clubs. They had debts of £700 million!!! can you believe it. No no OUR government, the Spanish government. They seemed to think they were national institutions that had over reached themselves trying to compete with the likes of Manchester United, AC Milan. Damn them. If Real Madrid is drawn against Pacific Shelf 595 Ltd and wins we must complain to EUFA, FIFA and The Milk Marketing Board. It is CHEATING!!!!!!!!!

Ashamed of nothing. Offended by everything. 09/07/2012 Report this place

Raith director: 'We are being bullied and the Scottish game is corrupt'

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