The SPFL has referred Ibrox’s refusal to comply with a commercial deal over to the SFA for “arbitration” after numerous efforts to resolve the issue have been rebuffed by the club over there.
It seems that this is the first step towards sanctioning them for it.
Of course, the SFA might well back Ibrox’s stance on this; that would do little but confirm that our game is a lawless banana republic. The SPFL would be outraged if this was the result.
But it’s clear that something has to give here, or cinch are going to walk.
One of the points of conflict is over the “contract” which Ibrox alleges makes their compliance impossible, but the SPFL has claimed that this has never been actually produced.
Their scorching letter to the clubs actually states that Ibrox has refused to produce it … which is astonishing.
Even if such a thing existed, who is the contract with?
It’s Ibrox’s contract with Ibrox’s directors.
Are they going to get sued if they go forward with the SPFL?
Of course not.
The whole thing could be settled easily, if Ibrox wanted it settled.
They don’t.
The whole thing is a sham, designed to punish the governing body and the clubs, just as Ibrox promised that it would do.
In referring the matter to the SFA the SPFL is removing any possibility of Sevco’s board using this as a lever to remove board members.
Indeed, it seems obvious that when the SFA returns a verdict that the SPFL must call an immediate board meeting and pass a motion of No Confidence in Stewart Robertson and make sure that none of his fellow directors replaces him.
They should have banned Robertson last year; they invited this showdown when they refused to refer Ibrox’s behaviour to the SFA for bringing the game into disrepute.
That would be an incredible sanction, and it would probably take a court to decide it.
And that, of course, would result in the Ibrox club issuing a call to arms to its most renegade supporters on this basis that this was more hatred pointed in their direction.
It does not take a genius to see how that would end.
I said at the weekend, we all better brace ourselves for something on that order. Ibrox’s descent towards the tactics of the political far-right means that this is now a danger point for the whole of our game.
It should be treated as such.