A FOOTBALL club has been told it will be booted from its home ground if it signs alleged rapist David Goodwillie.
Glasgow City Council has issued an ultimatum to Shettleston juniors team Glasgow United over concerns the side has signed the former Scotland striker.
In 2017, Goodwillie was found by a civil court to have raped a woman and was ordered to pay £100,000 in damages to the victim.
Susan Aitken, the leader of Glasgow City Council, has issued a statement after it was reported Goodwillie played for Glasgow United in a friendly match against Pollok last week.
She said the council, which owns the team’s home ground in the East End, could “walk away” from the deal which allows Glasgow United use of the facility.
In a statement, Aitken said: “David Goodwillie has been found, in court, to be a rapist.
“However, in more than 12 years, he has never once shown any kind of contrition or remorse.
“Any club that signs him is making a very clear statement about its attitude to the safety of women and girls – both in sport and in its community.
“It would be an outrageous decision, wholly at odds with how community facilities like Greenfield should be run.
“I’ve asked officers to look at the council’s agreement with Glasgow United and made it clear that I’m ready for the city to walk away.”
Goodwillie has been dropped by a number of clubs because of the 2017 court case, most recently by Australian team FC Sorrento.
It is not known whether the 34-year-old has signed for Glasgow United and the club was approached for comment.
He made his first public comments in the six years since the ruling in an interview with the podcaster James English last week, insisting he was “innocent”.
He said: “I’m an innocent man. I still say to this day, I’m walking about free, I’m not on the sex offenders register, I’ve not got any charges for this, I don’t even have a criminal record anymore.”
