League Rule 39
'What Is League Rule 39?'
(What do you mean that didn't sound anything like Alfred Hitchcock?)
Nonsensical and immoral as it may sound, when a team from the lower divisions is drawn at home to a side from the Premier (sic) division in the Coca-Cola Cup, Scottish League rules apparently(?) dictate that admission prices 'must'(?) be raised in order to make supporters realise that they are indeed privileged to be watching such, er, quality football. Strangely, however, if a team from one of the lower divisions is drawn away to one of the Premier clubs (or even just to a team from a division 'superior' to their own), the admission charges do not decrease in accordance with the - supposed - diminished status of the visiting side. Spooky, eh? Consequently, when the team that I support , Dundee United (well, we all have our cross to bear...and i’ve heard all of the jokes, thanks), announced that ‘they had to’ (their own words) increase admission prices (for the season 1995-96 home Coca-Cola cup-tie against Motherwell) because the Scottish League's rules left them no other alternative course of action, it seemed only logical (and fair) to discover what Mr. Peter Donald had to say on the matter.
As usual, I didn't really expect much enlightenment from the Scottish League, and, true to form, it was no surprise when the standard 'pass the parcel' reply eventually stumbled its inevitable way through the letter-box. Interestingly, however, whilst very kindly sending me a photocopy of League Rule 39 ('So just what is this League Rule 39?', I hear you utter in you best Robert Donat drawl), Mr. Donald also helpfully pointed out that 'This rule is not forced on to the clubs as you suggest in your letter [sorry, Mr. Donald, my mistake] but was endorsed by the clubs, hence the reason for its inclusion in our rules.' Well, more the fool me for simply believing Dundee United F.C. when they proclaimed (through the local - and unquestioning - rag) that the rule is compulsory, and that it is strictly enforced by tyrannical Scottish League officials. Once bitten, twice shy, eh?
Logically, then, if Mr. Donald is correct in stating that this rule is not enforced on to the clubs (and I see no reason to doubt his word), then it is the clubs (or in this particular episode, Dundee United) who are deliberately misleading the fans, by pinning all the blame for this on the Scottish League. Indeed, this scenario is almost identical to the impasse that currently exists between the clubs and the SFA, regarding who is to blame for the lack of extra-time in tied Scottish Cup semi-finals (in the initial first match, that is, rather than the inevitable replay; a curious anomaly in itself, don't you think?). For whilst the clubs blame the SFA/Scottish League for forcing unfair rules on to them; conversely, the SFA steadfastly maintain that is the clubs themselves who decide upon the rules which, in turn, the SFA enforce. Of course, caught in the "no-man's land" of this war of attrition, are the long-suffering fans who, once again, are forced to cough up the readies. Indeed, perhaps the only way to resolve this strange masonic ritual of 'pass the parcel' (i.e. “the buck doesn’t stop here”, is the crucial phrase to remember), is to hand the parcel over to the fans themselves, and let them take an active part in deciding what rules are fair and which are unfair? Dream on!
So what does League Rule 39 actually consist of, then? Well, sadly, it's nothing to get terribly excited about, I'm afraid. In essence, League Rule 39 consists of 6 paragraphs which deal with price/ticket arrangements for our dearly beloved Coca-Cola Cup competition. It is the second paragraph which is the key section, however, and thus the focus of our interest:
Where Premier, First, Second and Third Division clubs are in opposition,
the minimum recommended prices of ground admission shall be those
charged at matches by the club in the higher division.
So, there it is in its splendid entirety. Like me, the word that's probably reverberating around your mind after reading this particular section is, 'Why?' Just where is the logic - never mind the sense of 'fair play' - in operating such an openly mercenary policy? Moreover, despite M. Donald's calm assurances, where is the all-important get-out clause (I mean, for God’s sake, ‘shall be those’ sounds like one of the f***ing ten commandments!) which allows clubs the freedom NOT to force this unpleasant little rule upon the supporters? There's no denying, however, that this rule is a nice little earner, since the tournament is 'seeded' in such a manner as to encourage clashes between clubs from higher and lower divisions. Yup, the old 'Catch-39'...it's the best there is.
Interestingly, though, whilst Scottish fitba' fans are long used to being ripped off right, left and centre by the Scottish League, the SFA, and the clubs themselves, in England, the reverse would appear to be true - at least in respect to this particular case. In the words of the English League Secretary, J.D. Dent, 'The Football League has made no recommendation for clubs to raise their admission prices when playing a team from a higher division in the Coca-Cola Cup'. (So is it just in Scotland, then?) Indeed, warming to his theme, Mr. Dent states that:
There may be occasions, for example in a two-legged tie, where a club
might wish to reduce [his bold print] its admission prices, particularly
against a team from a lower division. [Could never happen in Scotland, mate.]
In such cases, the League will not normally object providing the visiting club
(which is entitled to a share of the gate) is happy with the arrangement.
What a guy, eh? For supporters who have, through their Kafkaesque contact (sic) with the SFA, long lost faith in all football administrators, such altruistic policies positively verge on the revolutionary. Ultimately, however, one is still left to face the unpleasant reality as to why there should be such a stunning contrast in operational procedures between the Scottish and English Leagues. Curious and curiouser, is it not?
In conclusion, then, what else is there to say except that this particular paragraph of League Rule 39, appears to be solely designed in order to fleece (once more) the long-suffering mugs who keep trudging through the turnstiles. Admittedly, there may be a grey area in relation as to whether it is the clubs themselves, or the League itself, who are to blame for this injustice; however, merely adopting the (by now) well-recognised get-out clause of "It's no' oor fault, it's the fault of the SFA/Scottish League/football clubs/San Andreas", etc, is no longer acceptable. Indeed, when was it ever acceptable? Ironically, however, I tend to feel that it is not really ‘Rule 39’ in itself which is the most interesting feature of this wild-goose chase, but rather the cunning manner in which both the clubs and the Scottish League try to obscure the issue, and bullshit the fans (and that ever-sycophantic media mob) into a sort of ‘false consciousness’. For me, then, it is the manner in which they (i.e. the clubs/Scottish League/SFA) mislead without actually lying (Crikey! George Orwell would be proud of me), which is the most important (and depressing) aspect of this Keystone Cop-like caper. But that’s enough of the Dave Spart/Orwell stuff for the moment.
Finally, it is clear that if this rule is ever going to be amended in favour of the fans, then some sort of a spokesperson will be required to present our case. One possible solution is to contact The Office of Fair Trading (as Merseyside supporters did a few years ago, whilst attempting to organise a fairer distribution of F.A. Cup Final tickets), and hope that the resulting bad publicity (ah, yes, the wonderful, fair-minded football journalists of Scotland) will force the Scottish League/Scottish clubs to reconsider this unfair rule. The only other alternative, of course, is to give Gerry a quick bell.
Grant Millar
This article was sent to us by a Dundee Utd suppporter who felt that the unfairness of the rull he talks about would be of interest to a wider football audience. I felt that the points raised were of significant interest to Motherwell supporters that I decided to include it in this issue - ED
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