His time at Yorkshire County Cricket must now seem like another historical epoch to Stewart Regan.
He wasn’t long in the SFA job when the Dallas email story hit the organisation.
In the round, I thought he handled that one well enough.
Now he has something to tackle that dwarfs the problems he faced in November 2010 with his Head of Referee Development.
The allegations made by ex-Rangers director Hugh Adam in the Daily Mail could not be more serious for the SFA and the governance of the game in Scotland
In fairness to Regan he immediately responded to this game changer:
Independent Inquiry Update
Friday, 02 March 2012
Stewart Regan, the Scottish FA Chief executive, has today provided an update on the progress of the Independent Inquiry into Rangers FC chaired by The Right Honourable Lord Nimmo Smith.
“We are now in the final stages of our independent inquiry into the situation concerning Rangers FC. The report by The Right Honourable Lord Nimmo Smith is expected to be completed next week and will go to a Special Board Meeting for consideration.
“It would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage in relation to the details gleaned from the inquiry, the potential contents of the report or any possible sanctions.
“We are, however, aware of the most recent allegations made against Rangers FC today by a former director of the club. We shall investigate this matter thoroughly before making any further comment.”
The investigation into Craig Whyte is now something of a sideshow next to the allegation by an ex-Rangers director that the Ibrox club broke the rules on player remuneration and registration throughout the Murray Years.
Even to mainstream media have copped onto how serious this could be
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/gers-could-face-a-ban-from-sfa-1.1151165
Now the SPL has announced a probe into the two contract allegations.
http://www.scotprem.com/content/default.asp?page=s2&newsid=11135&back=home
We will then be able to compare and contrast the modalities of both investigations as well as what they unearth.
Mr Regan said that he wanted to put transparency at the heart of the SFA, and I believe him.
Now he has an opportunity to demonstrate his bona fides that he could not have dreamt of, even during “Dallasgate” in 2010.
He will know from Cricket that sporting integrity is a fragile thing. It requires public confidence, and that comes from action that people can have faith in.
The playing field must be level in any sport and any allegation that it is not so must be thoroughly examined.
Rangers are not accused of match fixing, but of financial doping on an industrial scale.
Planet Fitba is watching.
