Scottish side Clyde FC is in a very serious crisis for bringing David Goodwillie back to the club on loan from Raith Rovers. His arrival at the club has forced all the players and coaches at Clyde’s female team to resign.
David Goodwillie’s football career started suffering in 2011 when he was charged with rape. The case dragged until 2017 before he was ruled to be a rapist.
However, no criminal proceedings were instructed against him. Goodwillie who is now 32-year-old was only ordered to pay £100,000 in damages.
Since then, the bad reputation has been following him around and has prevented him from enjoying his football career as much as possible.
On January 31, 2022, David Goodwillie left Clyde for Raith Rovers for a transfer fee worth €60,000. His arrival at the Scottish League One club caused a series of crises at Raith Rovers, hence, Goodwillie had to return to Clyde on loan.
🗣️"We just completely underestimated the depth of the feeling that has come from that signing…if we could turn the clock back we would…"
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) February 10, 2022
Raith Rovers manager John McGlynn apologises for David Goodwillie's signing saying they were wrong to only think about football ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/OuY1ALTiUZ
Unfortunately for him, his return to Clyde generated a series of criticism within and outside the club. To prove the severity of Clyde’s decision to return David Goodwillie to the club on loan, Clyde’s female squad resigned.
Also, the club’s director Andy Allan has resigned following the return of Goodwillie to the Scottish club and the player has been banned from accessing Broadwood Stadium according to a statement from North Lanarkshire Council.
In a statement, Clyde Ladies said: “We can today confirm the general manager/secretary of Clyde Ladies has resigned on hearing the news of the return of David Goodwillie to the club.
“All of the players in the ladies team have discussed the situation with the general manager/secretary and they are all in agreement that we no longer wish to play for Clyde FC. This will start with immediate effect.
“As a group of female footballers all we wish to do is play the sport that we love but due to the current circumstances, we are unable to do this.
“At this time, we wish to ensure the wellbeing and privacy of our players therefore we would ask that players are not approached personally for comment regarding this matter.”
Clyde to terminate the loan contract with David Goodwillie
After a series of backlash from fans, members of both the male and female teams of Clyde FC, and government officials, the club has decided to terminate David Goodwillie’s contract.
Initially, Goodwillie who is a 32-year-old Scottish striker was expected to stay at Clyde on loan from March 1 to May 31, 2022, before he would return to Raith Rovers.
But due to the pressure on the club, Clyde would not wait until the end of the season before letting the Scottish striker leave.
A statement from the club read: “The club are tonight in the process of terminating the loan agreement with Raith Rovers for David Goodwillie.”
If Clyde completes the termination of Goodwillie’s loan deal, Raith Rovers might be left with no choice but to follow suit since he is not also wanted at the club.
