Stenny chief embarrassed by SPFL in-fighting

STENHOUSEMUIR chairman Iain McMenemy admits he is embarrassed to have been associated with Scottish football amid the bitter civil war – but still hopes the SPFL listen to the clubs who wanted an independent investigation.

The Warriors were one of 13 members who voted for the resolution to hold an inquiry into last month’s controversial ballot on ending the season but were ultimately left disappointed that the motion was rejected on Tuesday.

Rangers, Hearts and Stranraer were behind the calls for a probe, having already voiced their dismay over the way the governing body has overseen the coronavirus crisis, while the likes of Partick Thistle and Falkirk have also been outspoken on the issue.

Even though he backed an investigation, McMenemy insists the entire episode has left the reputation of the Scottish game in tatters.

He said: “This has been an absolute nightmare for Scottish football over the last few weeks, it’s been embarrassing to be part of Scottish football whilst this civil war has raged.

“We do have to draw a line under what has happened but, in doing so, we recognise what happened in the vote and fall behind that.

“I absolutely support the SPFL in that, but we also have to recognise that one third of the clubs within the organisation seemed to think that there are issues with governance and culture.”

McMenemy believes the SPFL needs to become more democratic in how it deals with clubs’ concerns.

With a third of teams having voted in favour of the resolution, the Stenhousemuir chair insists the governing body cannot continue like it is business as usual. Speaking to The Nine, McMenemy (right) added: “We supported the resolution because for two, three years we’ve raised issues about governance, about the culture within the SPFL.

“Well, one third of the members want to start working with them a little bit closer together on some of these big issues about culture, about the way we organise ourselves.”