IT would be “appropriate” for the footballing authorities to step into the controversy surrounding Raith Rovers’ signing of “rapist” David Goodwillie, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The First Minister said that the statement released by the Kirkcaldy club on Tuesday, which said the signing was “first and foremost… a football-related decision”, had “compounded the problem rather than made it any better”.
Outrage erupted following Raith Rovers’ signing of Goodwillie, who was found by a civil court in 2017 to have raped a woman six years earlier.
A slew of resignations hit the club after the announcement, including two of its directors, and the captain of its women’s team, Tyler Rattray.
READ MORE: Everything wrong with the Raith Rovers David Goodwillie statement
On Wednesday, novelist Margot McCuaig said that the women’s team at Raith Rovers were “having new shirts printed without the club crest, seeking permission to change their name and will play elsewhere”.
She said that Val McDermid was “helping them in their efforts to distance themselves from the club and move forward in a new direction”.
McDermid, a lifelong supporter of Raith Rovers whose dad worked for the club, pulled her support and sponsorship after the club went ahead with signing Goodwillie despite her warnings. She appeared to confirm McCuaig’s report by sharing her tweet.
On Tuesday, the First Minister praised Rattray and McDermid for taking a stand over the issue.
Speaking to STV on Wednesday, Nicola Sturgeon said it “would be appropriate” for either the Scottish Professional Football League or the Scottish Football Association to step in over the controversy.
The First Minister, however, did not go into specifics about what she thinks should be done.
“Football players – it’s not an ordinary job, like First Minister is not an ordinary job,” she said in a later interview.
“Football players are role models and football clubs have a responsibility to make sure they’re positive role models for the wee boys and wee girls who look up to them.
READ MORE: Who is David Goodwillie – the 'rapist' signed for Raith Rovers?
“This is a player who was found in a civil court, albeit on the balance of probabilities, to have raped a woman, and as far as I’m aware hasn’t shown any remorse or reflection for that and I think that Raith Rovers really do have to reflect on the message that sends.”
She added: “What they effectively seemed to be saying was that it didn’t matter how a man behaved towards a woman, the only thing that mattered to them was whether he could score goals for the football club.
“That really illustrates the distance we’ve got to go as a society if our rhetoric about zero-tolerance of sexual violence, violence against women, is to be a reality.”
Sturgeon also applauded the actions of McDermid – who she said she counts as a friend.
“I think she has shown more love of Raith Rovers, perhaps, than those who are taking these decisions on behalf of Raith Rovers,” she said.
The First Minister’s comments come as the chief executive of Scottish Women’s Football (SWF) – a former member of Sturgeon’s Cabinet – said the decision could have “devastating consequences” for women in the sport.
Aileen Campbell said the club made a “badly misjudged” decision to sign Goodwillie, telling BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “The fact that the women’s club has lost its captain as a result of this is devastating, that would be a devastating consequence to lose women from the game as a result of this poor decision.
“We can’t shy away from the fact it is a privilege to work in football and football has real influence and sway, particularly over young fans, and that is why this decision feels poor.
“It does have impact. We can concentrate on the actions on the pitch, but we can’t shy away from the fact that football has huge influence off the pitch as well.”
Raith Rovers said on Tuesday that "David is a proven goal scorer" adding that they "carefully considered our position as a Community Club" before signing him.
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