April 19 – Gordon Smith (pictured) has surprisingly resigned as the chief executive of the Scottish Football Association (SFA), it was announced tonight.
The SFA confirmed Smith’s departure – a decision which has been met with shock by his peers – in a brief statement and promised an update tomorrow.
It is understood the 55-year-old, who took the position in 2007, made the decision mainly for personal reasons and felt the time was right to step down following an eventful period in a role which has always attracted criticism no matter the identity of the incumbent.
Rangers manager Walter Smith described the news as “regrettable'” due to his namesake’s strong footballing background.
Former Scotland boss Craig Brown was “astonished” by Smith’s departure after feeling he had settled in well to the post, while Smith’s Scottish Premier League counterpart, Neil Doncaster, was “flabbergasted”.
Walter Smith had high hopes when the appointment of the former Rangers and Brighton striker was made but admitted the expected results were not always forthcoming given the competing interests in the game.
The former Scotland manager said: “I know Gordon and I know he is very passionate about his football and he’ll have his own ideas.
“I don’t know the circumstances which have forced him to make that decision.
“From my own point of view, it’s a regrettable one because he’s a football person and he was placed in a position where we would have hoped he could have influenced a lot of things.
“Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”