SFA boss brands Gers fans ‘great unwashed’
Board member fights to save job after crass comments in an interview 12 years ago
‘...only the great unwashed venture South to Ibrox...’
SFA board member Gary Hughes is fighting for his future in football after labelling Rangers fans “the great unwashed”.
The self-confessed Celtic fan, part of the powerful eight-strong SFA board, is facing the axe after details emerged of a magazine interview he gave almost
FROM BACK PAGE 12 years ago. His crass and insensitive comments are set to hand new chief executive Ian Maxwell his first test of leadership less than 48 hours after he was paraded at Hampden.
Indeed, last night the SFA confirmed they would be launching a probe into the board member’s comments.
Hughes, who is also chairman of the SFA’s audit committee, is due to stand for re-election to the influential SFA board next month.
But it remains to be seen if he will be given the opportunity to extend the position as a senior independent non-executive director he first took up in April 2015.
Hughes was CEO of publishing firm CMPI when he gave his intemperate interview to its licensed trade magazine, The Publican, on August 28 2006.
In a feature headlined “What I love about Glasgow pubs” he extolled the virtues of the city’s many bars.
He was quoted: “Glaswegians are passionate about sport – actually I mean fitba’!
“The next best thing to being at Celtic Park (only the great unwashed venture South to Ibrox) is watching the game, pint of Tennents in hand along with some like-minded souls.”
Record Sport has been sent a copy of the original cutting from the trade publication.
Hughes, who also holds a string of positions with blue chip companies including the SECC and Dubai-based Majid Al Futtaim Retail, has made no secret of his support of Celtic, even stating in one interview a desire to see his son Gavin one day play for the club.
There’s disquiet at Ibrox about his comments, even from more than a decade ago, with the SFA’s compliance officer currently probing issues around the club’s UEFA licence from 2011.
Hughes said in an interview last September: “I have no qualms whatsoever about what the association did and how it managed its matters through that period.”
Hughes was unavailable for comment last night.
A Rangers spokesperson said: “If it is proven such an inappropriate comment was made by an independent non-executive director of the SFA we would expect that body to investigate thoroughly and quickly.”