The signing of David Goodwillie put Raith Rovers in the eye of the storm.
The events at Stark’s Park – including club resignations, fan anger and political reaction – plunged the Kirkcaldy club into turmoil.
The controversy also made headlines across the UK and was even covered in the US by CNN.
And it has led to a dramatic U-turn and apology from the Rovers board, with then-chairman John Sim quickly confirming the club would enter negotiations with the player to cancel his contract.
His release was made official on Friday, September 30.
Goodwillie – handed a two-and-a-half-year deal by the Kirkcaldy club – is one of the most divisive figures in Scottish football after being branded a rapist during a civil court action five years ago.
The 32-year-old and ex-Dundee United team-mate David Robertson were ordered to pay Denise Clair £100,000.
A judge ruled he and Robertson had raped Ms Clair, after the case had been dropped by a criminal court.
The deal to sign him from Clyde led to two directors – Bill Clark and Andy Mill – walking away from Rovers.
Who were the board members who presided over the move?
John Sim
Position (at the time of Goodwillie deal): Owner and chairman
Originally from Kirkcaldy and now based in Bangkok, Sim is the CEO of Thailand – part of a large network of independent accountancy firms – and a graduate of Cambridge University.
Sim became a shareholder in 2005 and then sole director in 2008 during a fan takeover.
He is also the majority shareholder in the company which owns Stark’s Park, Raith Rovers’ home ground.
According to Nutmeg Magazine, Sim was first introduced to Raith fans by his former classmate, the ex-prime minister Gordon Brown, and would interact with supporters on online discussion boards.
He took on the role of chairman in 2020 on an “interim basis” after Bill Clark stepped down.
Sim said: “Being chairman of Raith Rovers was never on my bucket list but watching my team play from the railway stand is.
“I plan to spend at least half the year out in Thailand, I have a business here that requires me to be on the ground some of the time.
“I don’t mind flying and I certainly want to be able to see Raith Rovers.”
Was replaced as chairman in April and caused controversy – in an interview with The Courier – by saying his first instinct was to CLOSE the club when it became apparent Goodwillie had no future in Fife.
Karen Macartney
Position: CEO
Appointed in April 2021, Macartney attends board meetings but does not have any voting rights as CEO.
With a background as business director with Edinburgh Accies rugby club, Rovers said when she was appointed her immediate priority would be strengthening backroom infrastructure as well as building links with the community.
“Raith Rovers must be at the heart of the town so that, even if results aren’t always perfect, there is still an appreciation of what the club brings,” Macartney told The Courier in 2021.
Sponsor Val McDermid, who ended her ties with Rovers after they signed Goodwillie, has been critical of Macartney’s role in the transfer.
Speaking on the BBC, the author claimed she had been assured by the CEO the player would not be signed (The Courier has given Macartney the chance to respond to this allegation).
Steven MacDonald
Position: Vice-chairman, operations
Raith Rovers fan MacDonald joined the board in February 2019 after a lifetime following the club.
The owner of Kirkcaldy-based electrical wholesalers SM Electrical Supplies Ltd, MacDonald has been involved in Fife football for decades as a former director and chairman of Thornton Hibs and, later, Glenrothes Juniors.
Upon joining the board, MacDonald said that after building his business over the previous 31 years, he looked forward to bringing his “vision, a determination to succeed and a never-say-die attitude” to the club.
Replaced Sim as chairman in April.
David Sinton
Position: Vice-chairman (corporate affairs) and company secretary
Kirkcaldy-born Sinton was involved in the 2005 supporter buy-out of the club after he was recruited to lead negotiations by Gordon Brown, who he also went to school with.
After briefly serving as chairman, Sinton – a former tax partner at the accounting giant Deloitte in Edinburgh – remains on the board as a director.
Now living in the capital, Sinton also serves as director of Stark’s Park Properties Limited, the company which owns the ground.
Retired from the role in May.
Tom Morgan
Position: Commercial director
Morgan joined the Raith Rovers board in the role of commercial director in 2013 after a spell volunteering at the club.
Following a career in financial services, Morgan leads much of the club’s public-facing work, such as the opening of a temporary shop to sell merchandise on Kirkcaldy High Street.
He also works with the commercial team to attract sponsorship, an area of the operation challenged more than ever after McDermid and Tag Games both pulled out of sponsoring the team’s home and away strips.
Away from the club, Morgan is the lead singer of Kirkcaldy band Gaels Blue.
