“Surprised and disappointed”

Nick Hobbs, Head of Advice and Investigations at the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, said: “We are surprised and disappointed by the Competition and Markets Authority’s view that it does not propose at the present time to investigate our complaint and the complaint of RealGrassroots. 

“These complaints were made only after a decade of attempts by our office, the petitioners, and Members of the Scottish Parliament to ensure children’s rights are protected in Scottish football. The CMA is the only body with the authority and the legal powers to make the SFA and SPFL change the rules.   

“We note the consistently high cross-party support in the Scottish Parliament for the necessary rule changes. We hope this will encourage the CMA to reconsider its position.”