Rangers: SPFL must be 'democracy not dictatorship' - Stewart Robertson
- Published
Rangers claim that clubs were not told of a potential 拢10m liability to sponsors and broadcasters
The SPFL must be run as a "democracy not a dictatorship", says Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson after his club produced a dossier criticising the league's governance.
Rangers claim that clubs were not told of a potential 拢10m liability to sponsors and broadcasters, as well as "substantial problems" with league reconstruction before they voted to end the season.
SPFL board member Robertson said clubs need to "have the right level of say" when it comes to any decisions made.
"When you are distributing 拢25m worth of prize money and there's the potential of a 拢10m refund to broadcasters and sponsors, that's a material number," he said. "You have to provide them with all the information that is available.
"We need the SPFL to be run as a democracy, not a dictatorship, and I think we need the clubs to have the right level of say. To have that, they have to know they have trust in the information they've been given.
"Not being able to trust or have confidence in people that you are getting full information makes it very, very difficult.
"I felt we were being railroaded down a particular route. The clubs should have been given options. They should have been allowed to debate them as shareholders and then come to a decision as to what was best for them."
Prior to publishing the dossier, Rangers said they could prove a "lack of fair play" in April's ballot to end the lower leagues and have forced an EGM on 12 May to vote for an independent inquiry.
They also called for SPFL chief executive Doncaster and SPFL legal adviser Rod McKenzie to be suspended.
"Personally and as a club we have lost confidence in the way they are running the organisation," Robertson added.
"What we can't be is in a situation where the first answer you get to every question is: 'No you can't do that, you're not allowed to do that in the rules.' Well, let's look at changing the rules then.
"That's one of my frustrations and this has really brought it to the boil."
Soon after the publication of the dossier, the SPFL said it contained "not one single shred of evidence to support Rangers' vociferous claims of corruption, bullying and coercion by SPFL staff".
Robertson insisted that Rangers "never" made any of those claims "anywhere".
"It's a complete deflection away from the point we should be discussing, which is the failings of the executive in the build-up to this vote," he said.
The EGM set for next week was forced by Rangers - backed by Hearts and Stranraer - who need the support of 32 clubs for an inquiry to take place.
A meeting of the 12 Premiership clubs - and Championship winners Dundee United - has been delayed until Friday as they digest the contents of Rangers' evidence.