Accies chief admits he’d have voted ‘no’ if bottom

HAmILTON ACCIES chairman Allan maitland last week backed the SPFL’s proposal to end the Championship plus Leagues One and Two now — but admits that he would have opposed it had they been bottom of the Premiership. Hearts are currently 12th and did vote against it, as did Rangers, but the other ten top-flight clubs were in favour. The two bottom tiers also supported the motion while Championship clubs were 7-2 in favour, with Dundee holding the casting vote and yet to make up their mind. maitland admitted Hamilton, currently four points clear of Hearts in 11th place, have been looking after their own interests. ‘Hearts voted no last week and, if we’d been adrift at the foot of the table, that might have been us,’ he insisted. ‘You’re basically asking turkeys to vote for Christmas in that case and, if we’d been in Hearts’ shoes, I’m not certain that we would have voted the same way. ‘The SPFL board have done the right thing by putting this back to the clubs, but we’re now all waiting to see how Dundee have voted and, more importantly, waiting for the money to be issued. ‘They’re saying we won’t be able to play again until at least June 12, so we either need to wait until then to hand out the money or we agree to do it now, which is what the board attempted to do.’ maitland accepts that many of the 42 cash-strapped clubs need money now, but doesn’t see how the SPFL can issue loans to its members as Rangers have claimed. ‘How can you give clubs loans?’ he asked. ‘There would need to be rules attached and that would need to be part of the SPFL’s articles of association. Banks have been instructed to lend to businesses but there always needs to be some kind of security in place for those transactions. ‘What happens if a club borrows from the SPFL and then can’t pay it back? What if they borrow against their current league position and then fall below that?’