DUNFERMLINE CLUB CRISIS: NEW MODEL NEEDED TO BACK FANS
The Greens' candidate in Dunfermline says the latest legal obstacles facing the fan buyout of Dunfermline Athletic show that a new deal for Scottish football fans is needed. It became clear on Wednesday that a challenge in the courts by the club's former owner threatens the passionate campaign by fans to secure the future of the Pars.
Green MSPs will be soon be putting forward changes to the law to give supporters' trusts the first right to buy their local club.
Zara Kitson, Green candidate for Dunfermline said:
"This will be a tense weekend for Pars fans who've put so much into the campaign to save their club. I hope that the interests of those at the real heart of the game, the fans, prevail from this legal mess. Only the Greens are putting forward concrete proposals in Parliament that try to redress the imbalance in Scottish football that sees fans and communities as an afterthought."
Alison Johnstone, Green MSP and sports coach said:
"This latest legal problem reflects decades of poor regulation by the governing bodies and an absence of practical support from politicians. Clubs aren't just companies - they're cherished community assets and they need to be treated differently, which is why I'm proposing changes to the law that would put fans at Dunfermline and elsewhere back at the heart of the game."