Rangers in call for MacLennan to quit
RANGERS last night called for the resignation of SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan as the war of words surrounding his links to Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond intensified.
The Ibrox club are unhappy that their request for an independent investigation into MacLennan’s appointment as non-executive chairman of Irish-based Independent News & Media Group (INM) was turned down last month.
Desmond is listed as a major shareholder in INM — which publishes titles including the Irish
Independent and Belfast Telegraph — along with Denis O’Brien, who also has a minor stake in rivals Celtic, something which Rangers claim offers ‘clear scope for a conflict of interests’.
The refusal to
investigate the matter has left the Ibrox club seething and they chose to release a strongly worded statement demanding action.
‘It is surprising that Mr MacLennan does not recognise and acknowledge that there is clear scope for conflict of interest between the duties owed by him to the SPFL and its shareholders and the duties he now owes to INM and Mr Desmond and Mr O’Brien as INM shareholders,’ read the statement.
‘Under the present circumstances, no SPFL club can be sure of being properly served. Our concerns are heightened by the fact that Mr MacLennan has yet to offer an explanation for the very serious public allegations that he used highly inappropriate language when speaking about Rangers.
‘In the interests of proper governance, transparency and integrity, the SPFL should have agreed to an independent investigation of this matter and should not have refused to answer all questions and address the genuine concerns put to them in a formal letter by Rangers.
‘Now, however, and because there is no route of appeal against this decision, Rangers is left with no alternative but to call for Mr MacLennan to stand down as SPFL chairman. Apart from this being the correct course of action, it would be the honourable thing to do.’
Rangers chairman Dave King also recently called for SFA director Gary Hughes to be suspended over claims that he previously made derogatory remarks about Rangers fans.
Hughes stepped down from his Hampden role days later as it was revealed he would not seek re-election to his post as non-executive director.