Make the findings public knowledge
Transparency can heal divide in game, says Raith chief
RAITH ROVERS chairman Bill Clark has called for the findings of an independent arbitration panel to be made public to prove there was ‘no smoking gun’ surrounding Dundee’s infamous missing vote.
Hearts and Partick Thistle dragged Raith, Dundee United and Cove Rangers into a bitter legal dispute over the resolution which called the season early.
The duo believed they were relegated as a result of Dundee changing their vote under duress.
However, a quest to overturn their demotion saw a three-man independent panel find in favour of the SPFL following a private hearing on Monday.
Believing the verdict fully vindicates their actions, the league have now asked all parties if they will agree to make its findings public in the interests of transparency.
And Raith chief Clark believes it’s a necessary step to quell some of the conspiracy theories surrounding a fraught and divisive issue.
‘I hope it comes out because it will demonstrate that three learned people with a lot of experience have unanimously — after examining all the evidence in detail from that moment — come to the verdict there was no smoking gun as far as the Dundee vote was concerned,’ said Clark.
‘They think it was legitimate what happened and every objection Hearts and Partick made they disagreed with.
‘The panel will reconvene in two weeks’ time to consider the costs and who is to be awarded costs, if anyone.’
Raith, Dundee United and Cove Rangers incurred costs of £50,000 when Hearts and Partick took their dispute to the Court of Session. Those costs have now risen considerably, and a decision has yet to be reached on who foots the bill for the time and expertise of the arbitration hearing.
‘There have already been costs because it went to the Court of Session, so we have already incurred a bit of costs on that,’ added Clark (right). ‘But the costs of moving it forward to arbitration will be considerable — a lot more than it was going to the Court of Session — so we will have to see how that all pans out. ‘The supporters have been very generous by putting up money because there was no way we could have carried the legal fees on our own. They were superb.’ While Hearts and Thistle received support with the legal expense from supporters, the full cost of ignoring the need to take football disputes to arbitration in the first place has yet to be fully determined. The SFA compliance officer has levelled a notice of complaint against both clubs, with a hearing on August 6, after they ignored rules stating that clubs should not pursue legal action through the courts without the permission of the governing body. Calling for an end to the costly legal manoeuvres, Clark told BBC Scotland’s football podcast: ‘If you take the legal route, which Hearts and Partick Thistle did, you have to accept you’ll be judged on the legal route.
‘So if the judgment goes against you, you have to accept it.
‘Ann Budge said right at the start she didn’t expect to win and as it turned out the criticisms of the SPFL that Hearts and Partick Thistle had were unfounded.
‘That’s what the verdict was and I think Ann knew that from the beginning.
‘The panel was made up of three very experienced people, one of whom was chosen by Hearts and Partick. They looked at all the evidence, took a long time over it and, at the end of the day, their legal judgment was unanimous.
‘So when you go down that route you have to accept it.
‘My hope is that in due course the judgment will be published.’
Hearts and Partick remain angry that clubs refused to reconstruct the leagues to ensure that no teams would be unfairly disadvantaged by the curtailment of the season in the midst of a world pandemic.
With Tynecastle fans now openly speaking of boycotting away grounds when supporters are allowed back into games, Clark believes Scottish football needs to come together and find a way to heal the wounds via meaningful reconstruction talks, stripped of self-interest.
‘In the heat of the moment — and I am not just talking about Hearts and Partick — everyone is going to be either disappointed or pleased,’ he continued.
‘Let’s put these emotions to one side if we possibly can and I hope that in a year or two’s time — and it might take that long for the emotions to go away — we can all move forward.
‘We have to take time to sort some of this out and I’d be very sad if Hearts fans boycott games.
‘It was a nuclear incident, we know that, but if that was to spoil relationships between Hearts and Raith Rovers, that would be sad.
‘I am in a position just now where I want to build bridges. We were drawn into this, we didn’t want to be in this position — but we had to defend ourselves.
‘We didn’t go on the offensive, we were on the defensive all the time. I just hope common sense prevails.
‘One of the reasons we voted in the 81 per cent in the first vote was because the SPFL said they would look at reconstruction.
‘We would have been happy to have a 14-14-16 league, which would have minimised the impact on everyone.
‘I would have been very happy for Falkirk, Dumbarton, Airdrie and Montrose to go up along with us but it didn’t happen.
‘The last round of reconstruction was an indicative vote and by that time we were coming under a lot of pressure, being told if you don’t vote the way certain clubs wanted us to vote, you’re either stupid or have prejudice against us.
‘I would have preferred an approach that would have persuaded us to vote that way.’