Clyde have terminated a loan deal for David Goodwillie after seeing their Ladies side look to sever ties with the club and North Lanarkshire Council ban the striker from entering the team's stadium.
Raith Rovers sparked controversy by signing Goodwillie as a free agent on the final day of the January transfer window.
After a fierce backlash against the arrival of the 32-year-old, who was ruled as a rapist by a civil court judge in 2017, the Scottish Championship outfit admitted they had "got it wrong" and looked to have offloaded him until the end of the season – although an agreement with Clyde is now being ripped up.
What has been said?
A statement from the Scottish League One side released late on their official website on Thursday read: “The club are tonight in the process of terminating the loan agreement with Raith Rovers for David Goodwillie.”
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “Should Mr Goodwillie enter the stadium, we will consider the contract to have been breached and we will take immediate steps to terminate it. In addition, we have informed Clyde FC that the council intends not to renew the lease with the club when the contract for the use of Broadwood Stadium expires in May 2023.”
Clyde Ladies shut up shop
Goodwillie returned to Clyde for a second spell on Monday, with a short-term loan deal agreed that was due to see him remain at the club until June.
Clyde Ladies moved quickly to end their association with the men's side of the club, confirming their decision in an official statement on their Facebook page.
General manager David McGoldrick has also stepped down, with the statement reading: “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.”
What else has been said?
Raith Rovers’ women's team took the same steps as Clyde when Goodwillie joined their club, and renamed themselves after Val McDermid - a devoted fan that stepped in to fund new kits for the team.
They now compete under the new name of McDermid Ladies, and Clyde's outgoing ladies team have reportedly already contacted them for advice on their next move.
“We are happy to offer our support and share our experiences,” McDermid Ladies head coach Neil Sinclair said.
“We don’t condone violence against women, so it is good to see other teams sharing those morals and perspective.”
McDermid herself has also provided the Clyde Ladies squad with some public words of support, adding: "I wish the Clyde Ladies the very best of luck.
"I think the world has changed in the last five years. The societal acceptance of violence against women has shifted quite considerably. And what would have been a very difficult thing for them to do before has become something that is more possible now.
“With all social movements you need someone to kick the door open and the McDermid Ladies have kicked the door open and the sky didn’t fall in.
“The women at Clyde will have seen the breadth of positive response to what happened at Raith and will have been heartened by that.”
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