The chairman of the Dundee FC Supporters’ Society has insisted the organisation had no choice but to hold the controversial ballot of members.
The episode has been an unfortunate one for the DFCSS, with the initial announcement that fans had narrowly opted to allow their shareholding in the club to drop below 50% overturned when late votes were factored in.
Backing the decision by the independent Election Management Group to recount the votes after approximately 200 were held up in the post, Scott Glenday said: “There was a real chance that by taking external investment we would be giving the majority shareholding that we had bought on behalf of the supporters away without asking them.
“We held an open meeting to discuss the matter but very few bothered to turn up.
“We wrote to every adult member, emailed everyone who had provided an email address, put our trust in a professional company to ensure the mail went out, and an independent Election Management Group led by Stuart Galloway of the city council was appointed to manage the ballot independently.”
Pointing out that the DFCSS had no influence on the outcome of the result, Mr Glenday added: “I want to stress that at no point did the society board members see any ballot papers, touch or open any.
“Nor did they try to influence the decision of the EMG.
“We left it to them to make a decision they were brought in to oversee, count and validate the votes, in effect to manage the ballot that’s what we allowed them to do.
“They made the decision free from any interference from any members of the society board, but we are fully supportive of their decision, and we don’t believe that any technicalities or logistical problems should overrule the wishes of those fans who cast their votes in good faith.
“Had we not asked our members in the first place we’d have been slaughtered. Having done so, it was a matter of how and when we’d be criticised.”