Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Rangers chairman continues row with SPFL
RANGERS chairman Dave King is refusing to back down on his demands for Scottish Professional Football League chairman Murdoch MacLennan to be suspended and an independent probe set up into his business links with Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond.
Ibrox chairman King made his initial call for an investigation on Tuesday after reports emerged detailing MacLennan’s recent appointment as non-executive chairman of Irish-based Independent News & Media Group (INM).
Desmond is listed as a major shareholder i n INM — which publishes titles including the Irish Independent and Belfast Telegraph — along with Denis O’Brien, who has a minor stake in Rangers’ Glasgow rivals.
That call was quickly rebuffed by the SPFL, who insist that MacLennan informed its board of his new role before taking up the offer and denied claims there was a conflict of interest.
However, King said that response is not good enough and insists there are still key issues that need to be resolved.
In a statement, the Ibrox chief said: “I am surprised at the SPFL’s response to my request for an independent investigation into the relationship of its chairman to major shareholders in Celtic FC.
“Any organisation that has behaved properly would welcome an independent and transparent review.
“The SPFL’s response does not even attempt to answer why there was non-disclosure of the conflict that immediately arose when the SPFL chairman accepted this appointment.
“Questions must be addressed immediately if confidence is to be restored in the SPFL executive and its chairman.”