A Hibs supporter has today started a petition, which is to be presented to his club chairman Rob Petrie, demanding answers over the SFA’s refusal to grant an inquiry into the goings on at both Hampden and Ibrox since 2012. In addition, it is also designed to demonstrate the strength of feeling amongst Hibs’ own fans in relation to those events.
This is trending on a major Hibs fan site right now, and there is widespread support for it both on that forum and from fans elsewhere.
The open letter attached to the petition is, itself, scathing and poses several excellent questions.
Last month, Hibs and Aberdeen were quick to distance themselves from Celtic’s call for a full review of everything that happened with Rangers and the subsequent creation of Sevco.
The petition asks five questions of the Hibs board; the latter relates to Sevco’s clear breach of financial fair play regulations and inquires as to what they intend to do about it.
I am not sure if this guy would welcome signatures from non-Hibs fans; in the petition he says that it’s an issue for “all Scottish football supporters” and we, of course, agree with him. If you’re going to sign the petition I suggest you make sure and mention that you are a Celtic fan on it.
Although it will give Petrie some wiggle room it will also not be open to challenge on the grounds that signatories are pretending to be something they are not.
There is a curiosity in the open letter attached; it mentions that during discussions between the Hibs board and their supporter reps that information was turned up which his “not widely known”; the petitioner wants that information disclosed in case it sheds some light on these matters and makes the case for a review stronger.
I believe it can only do that. I believe that there’s too much of this in Scottish football, this wall of silence nonsense, this tendency for people to bury the truth in the hope that it stays in a deep dark hole. It won’t. It never does and the stink of it is going to be everywhere when people finally discover who amongst the clubs knew what and when.
I have long argued that it would be impossible for Doncaster and Regan to remain in post were it not for the support of the clubs; agendas are being played out everywhere and everyone involved is looking out for themselves. It’s ridiculous.
At some point, someone has to take responsibility for the good of Scottish football itself and there is no sign at all that the clubs are interested in that. The Hibs fan rep who frequently responds to inquiries on these matters has offered glib assurances that “like minded clubs” are working on making sure “these kind of things never happen again.”
And you know what? I don’t believe a word of that, because these things are happening, they are happening already, and I don’t see any sign that anybody is doing a damned thing about it. Nobody, except, as usual, the fans.
You can read the open letter and sign the petition here.