Scottish Football League (SFL) chief executive David Longmuir has argued getting reconstruction right is more important than ensuring it is in place for next season as he defended his Old Firm colt teams proposal.
Falkirk chairman Martin Ritchie accused Longmuir of being “irresponsible” by putting the plan forward on Tuesday one day after Scottish Premier League (SPL) clubs set an April 15 date for their vote on plans for a merged league.
The SPL plan would see a 12-12-18 structure, with the top two divisions splitting into three groups of eight after 22 games, but Longmuir’s interjection raises the possibility of Rangers and Celtic reserve teams making it a 12-12-10-10 system.
Longmuir had argued Scottish football needed to safeguard itself for the possibility of the Glasgow teams moving elsewhere, and he responded to criticism of his idea, pointing out it was included in former First Minister Henry McLeish’s review of Scottish football.
Longmuir said: “It may well be the case that league reconstruction won’t happen before next season, but it is clear we have to get this right.
“Everyone has their own agenda. I am looking at this objectively and now is the time to put ideas forward.”
He continued: “We have to be very clear on what’s right for the SFL and also for the whole of the Scottish game.
“I have to look at how we bring the fans back. With that, I am looking at all aspects of improving our game.”
Raith Rovers chairman Turnbull Hutton said: “I think it’s bizarre that we’re worrying about what happens when Rangers and Celtic depart the Scottish scene, but they’ve been going to depart the Scottish scene for the last decade.
“Where are they going to go? It’s a nonsense, frankly.”
Hutton believes Longmuir’s plan might have been devised to appease Rangers, who are unhappy they would still be in the bottom tier if an 18-team system comes in.
Hutton said: “It’s a simple solution because there’s pressure on the need for this two leagues of 10 at the bottom, where the proposal for the 12-12-18 was perfectly fine and it played to what supporters wanted in the third tier with home and away matches.
“But suddenly, someone wants to win a championship and move through and they would need two teams.”