Mike Mulraney may have overstepped the mark, yet there was not a chance of apologetic words passing his lips. A self-made man who likes what he says and says what he likes, when it came to identifying the next Scotland manager back in 2019, there was little concern in his mind for etiquette.
Back then, Mulraney was vice-president of the SFA. By rights, the call on which person was best placed to replace Alex McLeish rested with the governing body's main board. For the Alloa chairman, though, appointing Steve Clarke was simply non-negotiable. Having ruffled a few feathers, he got his way. The Ayrshireman was his man.
Seven years on, on the eve of a first World Cup for the national team in 28 years, Mulraney — who only became president in 2023 — is only too happy that he put his foot down when he did.
'I genuinely don't need vindication. I know I was right,' Mulraney said. 'I knew I was right the day I appointed him. I knew he was right the day he qualified us for a major tournament. I know I am right on the days it goes wrong and I believe I am still right as I sit here today. It might sound arrogant, but I don't need vindication. I never need applause or anyone to tell me I am doing it right. The only person I have to convince that I am doing it right is me.'
It was inarguably the right call. Had Clarke cashed in his chips after leading Scotland to Euro 2020, he'd have had one more tournament qualification to his name than his six predecessors who tried and failed to emulate Craig Brown. But Clarke backed it up by repeating the trick and taking the side to Germany in 2024. A painful loss to Ukraine in the play-off for the 2022 World Cup left a box unticked. That's since been attended to.
For all that, there are misgivings about the wisdom in handing him a four-year contract on the eve of the tournament in North and Central America. As joyful as qualification for successive Euros was for the nation, Scotland's performance across those six matches — two draws and four defeats — was dismal. If the same story plays out against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil, Mulraney will know that the verbal brickbats will be coming his way.
Characteristically, he doesn't dwell on the fact that many observers have expressed surprise that the matter wasn't put on the back burner. 'I don't feel surprised by it, because if you believe in your project and believe what you are doing is right, then show the commitment,' he added. 'We all know that football is a different world and that anything can happen in the meantime. But I believed it two years ago. I believed it four years ago and I believed it six years ago. So, I believe it now. What often happens in football is that you do not appreciate how good you have it until you don't have it anymore.'
You can't put a price on the sense of euphoria which gripped the entire country when Denmark were so memorably put to the sword in November, but the financial benefit of qualifying for tournaments is there in black and white. Euro 2024 participation helped the SFA post a record turnover of £78.72 million. A £21.6 million increase was largely driven by reaching Germany. Regardless of how Clarke's side fare in the coming weeks, being involved in the World Cup should comfortably surpass that.
'The expenditure on the World Cup is huge — but not as big as everybody else,' Mulraney explained. 'When I compare our expenditure model to some other countries who tell me they won't make any surplus whatsoever, I say "don't tell our guys that" because we are! We understand in Scotland the cost and value of a shilling. While we'll make sure our team has everything spent on them that they need to excel, this is the new Scottish FA. Not a penny will be wasted.'
There's a purpose to this prudent approach. Upon becoming president three years ago, Mulraney made it his business to address Scotland's inadequate football facilities. The upshot was Pitching In, a campaign which aimed to future-proof the national game by upgrading and building pitches and dressing rooms the length and breadth of the country. The SFA have put their hands in their own pockets and have persuaded local and central governments to follow suit. Already, targets have been reset.
'When I first got involved, I made an announcement that we were going to try and find £50 million before 2030 to rebuild infrastructure in Scottish football,' Mulraney said. 'People thought that would be a significant challenge. Many people told me it was going to be impossible. Well, we were pleased to be able to tell the members last week that not only is it not impossible to achieve that by 2030, we've already done it and that I've reset that target for Scottish football to £100 million. And I have total confidence in the fact that we'll achieve that. From the north of Scotland to the south, for the east to the west, we've already seen 193 projects that are either complete or in progress. And once we've done 193, I want to do another 200 and after we've done another 200, we want to do 200 more. And we will do it, we will achieve it.'
It's for this very reason that the redevelopment of Hampden, a perennial point of discussion among fans, doesn't sit at the top of Mulraney's in-tray. 'We think it is magnificent, but it's got to be better,' he acknowledged. 'But that can't come at the expense of a six-year-old girl from Kirkwall not even being able to kick a ball. Or a 10-year-old boy from Kirkcaldy not being able to get on a pitch. Or a 75-year-old man from Annan not being able to take part in sport. My responsibility is to now figure out a way of doing this too and not instead of. It can never be instead of.'
A small country whose recent success in qualifying for three major finals has come despite its infrastructure rather than because of it, the cash generated has the capacity to change the entire picture. Without sticking his neck out for Clarke seven years ago, there's probably no Kenny McLean moment against Denmark and no scope to invest in facilities which can benefit future generations.
'My brain fizzed and popped at that moment, just like it did for millions of Scottish people all over the world,' Mulraney reflected. 'But I can't help myself. I also thought, "How much can we get out of this?" I spend every second of every hour and every day of every week thinking about the fact that if you don't have money, you can't make the fundamental social changes that you want. Football is a mechanism in which we change people's lives in a positive fashion.'
