In a league in which the title is essentially passed between two clubs (and, really, dominated by one of them over the past two decades), it could be argued that there isn’t a lot of drama on the pitch. And so, the Scottish Premiership more than makes up for it in theatrics off it.
The Full Scottish
News broke this week that six top flight clubs—Aberdeen, Livingston, Motherwell, Rangers, St Johnstone and St Mirren—have asked for a meeting with SPFL officials over concerns ranging from officiating to sponsorship deals. The SPFL, in turn, has accused the six clubs of, essentially, spreading misinformation in a formal letter to the sport’s governing body. Yet, the two sides (or seven) will meet to discuss the matter further on Feb. 27.
This all appears to be the illogical conclusion of the ridiculous row over the Prem’s former title sponsor. Cue the collective eye-rolling or, more likely, the eyes glazing over.
Bigger Worries
Not to sound like former Ross County manager Derek Adams, here, but the Scottish game has bigger worries—or at least it should. In the bigger picture, the Scottish leagues are considered a footballing backwater in the European context. Outside Celtic and Rangers, most casual football fans would struggle to name the country’s other “big clubs.”
Which is part of the reason why the Prem’s television deal is peanuts when compared with England’s leagues, including the Championship and League One, much less the EPL. And while we’re far from being in the camp of Adams, who was recently shown the door at Ross County, the league does have a pretty glaring competitive balance issue, what with the Glasgow two sitting, as of this writing, 13 points clear of third place and 25 points clear of fourth place in the table.
But sure, quibble over the SPFL’s response over a report that concluded that the league complied “with significant elements of the UK Code of Corporate Governance” with regard to its decision-making process on issues affecting all 12 top-flight clubs.
True, the report didn’t find that the SPFL complied with ALL of the UK Code of Corporate Governance. Perhaps that is too much to ask.
Shakespeare couldn’t make this stuff up—and frankly wouldn’t bother.