Press Release
3rd July 2000
McNeil on the Trail of Morton’s Half Million
MSP for Greenock & Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, will tomorrow head a cross-party meeting with SFA Chief Executive, David Taylor, to discuss the crisis at Greenock Morton Football Club. The meeting will also seek assurances that public money put into football is well spent and delivers value for money.
Mr McNeil, who was keen for an early meeting to take place, said:
"I am glad that this meeting is taking place now. If we had to wait until next month, there may have been nothing left worth fighting over.
"During last month’s parliamentary debate on the crisis at the club, a number of issues were raised regarding the SFA and its role in safeguarding the futures of community based clubs.
"This cross-party meeting will allow us to underline importance of Morton to the Inverclyde community and what its loss would mean. I am confident that it will prove a useful opportunity to discuss how the Parliament and the Association can co-operate in the best interests of the club."
Mr McNeil will also take the opportunity to raise issues surrounding the accountability of the public money which Scottish professional football receives. He has already tabled parliamentary questions asking the Sports Minister how tabs are kept on the cash.
Greenock Morton has received £500,000 of public money and Scottish professional football as a whole has received £60 million of public money over the past 10 years.
Commenting, Mr McNeil said:
"The over-riding message of our campaign has been that our community based clubs are community assets. They are not simply private businesses at the mercy of hard-nosed businessmen.
"Nothing underlines this more than the fact that clubs do not only receive funds from their fans. If you have Sky television, buy a lottery ticket, pay your council tax or income tax, even, you are putting money into the chairmen’s wallets. Over the past 10 years professional football has received £60 Million of public money.
"It is therefore in all our interests to ensure that this money is well-spent and those in charge are accountable."
ENDS
Notes:
The meeting will be held at 9:30 at SFA Headquarters, Park Gardens, Glasgow
Those attending will include, Duncan McNeil MSP, George Lyon MSP, Annabel Goldie MSP, Fiona McLeod MSP.
The crisis at the club was debated in the Scottish Parliament on 15th June 2000.
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Articles ] [ Calendar ] [ Contacts ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ Open Government ] [ Scottish Parliament ]