Gerrard brands SPFL handling of vote 'an absolute mess'

Steven Gerrard has branded the SPFL’s handling of the resolution vote an “absolute mess”.

The Rangers boss challenged the league to prove “everything is clean, fair and transparent” with an independent investigation.

The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) announced on Wednesday its resolution on ending the season has passed with agreement by 81% of all members.

The league body made the announcement after Dundee submitted a ‘yes’ vote, after initially submitting a ‘no’ vote last Friday and then asking for it to be withdrawn.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Football Show, Ibrox manager Gerrard slammed the SPFL and reiterated his club’s call for an independent investigation into the handling of the vote.

He said: “From afar, the SPFL looks an absolute mess in all honestly.

“It is getting absolutely battered from pillar to post for the way it has handled things.

“From my point of view, all I ask is for the main leader of the SPFL to show some real leadership at this time.

“Because there are so many accusations and doubts, he needs to allow an independent investigation into the situation to prove everyone wrong and make sure there is fairness and transparency across the board in Scotland.

“The SPFL have said they are open to an internal investigation but I don’t agree with that, you shouldn’t really be allowed to mark your own homework.

“If you mark your own homework, you’re always going to finish top of the class.

“For me, there needs to be an expert come in and look at everything across the board with the SPFL.

“If everything is clean, everything is fair and everything is transparent then all the accusations, the media and ex-pundits can’t slam the organisation and everyone can move forward.”

Gerrard continued: “I’ve watched in the last two to three days the SPFL, an organisation I’m a big part of now, get absolutely slaughtered.

“I’m waiting for the leader, Murdoch MacLellan, to come out and say ‘I’m going to show leadership and I’m going to allow an independent investigation to prove that everything is clean’.”

The executive committee of European football’s governing body meets on 23 April. If the SPFL resolution is ratified at that meeting, Celtic will be crowned Premiership champions and Hearts will likely be relegated.

On the season potentially ending early, Gerrard said: “There are more important things to be focused on right now.

“Ideally, I’d like to see everyone back playing and to finish the season off.

“But where we are right now, the main priority is everyone’s health.”