Scottish Football Association chief executive Ian Maxwell is facing fresh questions over his leadership after former national team manager Steve Clarke revealed how he forced the governing body into handing him a new contract before the World Cup.
Clarke made the disclosures during a Q&A event arranged by Spartans, and they became public knowledge last weekend. He said he had effectively put pressure on SFA chiefs by threatening to announce his departure before the World Cup began, leading to a new four-year deal after the association "panicked a little bit".
Clarke also said he saw himself in a position to "control my narrative", a remark that has added to criticism of how the SFA handled his position.
The revelations are a blow for Maxwell, who used his first media call as SFA chief executive more than eight years ago to insist he had not been installed through a behind-doors stitch-up and would not be used as a puppet by anyone at the association.
Clarke guided Scotland to major tournament finals during his time in charge, though the team then struggled once there. Some point to that record as proof of his success. Others have questioned why a manager who fell short on the biggest stage appeared to hold such sway over SFA president Mike Mulraney and Maxwell.
Pocognoli's appointment and background
Maxwell's response has been to back two major projects alongside new chief football officer Craig Mulholland: a shake-up of the rules on how Scotland-eligible Under-21 players progress into first-team football, and the appointment of Sebastien Pocognoli as Clarke's successor as national team coach.
Pocognoli arrives with a growing reputation. He won the Belgian league title with Union Saint-Gilloise, a club under the Jamestown Analytics group, before a short and uncomfortable spell in charge of Monaco. Whether he can reproduce that early success outside Union Saint-Gilloise's protective bubble remains to be seen.
Old Firm crackdown at Ibrox
The SFA has also drawn praise for ordering Celtic and Rangers, known collectively as the Old Firm, to play their next home Scottish Cup ties behind closed doors. The move follows disorder at Ibrox during last season's Scottish Cup quarter-final between the two clubs, whose fixtures are among the most fiercely contested in British football.
Youth pathway plan faces a vote
The bigger test for Maxwell is his plan to change the pathway into first-team football for young Scottish talent. Falkirk chairman Jamie Swinney has already voiced doubts about its prospects, saying: "I'm not absolutely convinced this will be voted through, sadly."
Clubs are due to cast their final votes on the proposal in October and November. Maxwell's decision to front the campaign personally has been read as a sign he recognises the need for a more assertive style of leadership, but it also carries risk should the vote fail.
Mulraney, meanwhile, has kept a low profile in recent weeks. As chairman of FIFA's finance committee, he is expected to face scrutiny over his role following the criticism levelled at the World Cup's finances.
