Scottish football legend Archie MacPherson has called for fans to be given more influence in the running of the sport after plans for a European Super League all but collapsed.
The veteran TV commentator was speaking at the launch of Labour's Holyrood manifesto today which calls for "urgent reform" of the beautiful game.
Party leader Anas Sarwar supports fan ownership of clubs to ensure they remain viable in the long term after their finances took a hammering during the pandemic.
The future of football has dominated headlines since it was revealed last week that six English Premier League sides were planning to join a new European Super League outside the control of UEFA - only to back out following uproar from fans and politicians.
Asked by Sarwar what he thought about the Super League plan, MacPherson said: "Well I always claim, since I wrote a book about the man, that Jock Stein was the first to say football is nothing without the fans. And I think that's essentially true - it's the principle on which the game should be based.
"I think the Labour movement has come through the years taking up causes and pursuing them strongly. And in this sense, they should help fans democratise the game and given them more influence."
MacPherson - who became a household name thanks to his TV commentary during a golden age for Scottish football in the 1970s and 1980s - is a long-term Labour supporter.
He previously campaigned on behalf of Better Together ahead of the 2014 independence campaign and last year called for Richard Leonard to quit as leader of Scottish Labour, branding him "invisible".
Sarwar eventually replaced Leonard in March and is now trying to guide Labour into second place ahead of the Tories at next month's Scottish Parliament election.
He said today there should be an end to the "cartel" which runs football.
The new manifesto said: "Scottish Labour supports fan ownership of football clubs in Scotland, recognising that clubs are more than just businesses. They hold a special place in the heart of so many communities, and the pandemic could significantly impact the viability of clubs.
"We believe there is an urgent need to reform the governance of the game in Scotland in order for football to be more inclusive, fully representative of all parts of the game and more successful.
"We support calls by the Scottish Football Supporters Association and others for a full and inclusive review of the game. We support the five nation UK and Ireland bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup."
Sarwar also said Scotland "deserves better than the old politics" and called for the country to unite behind a National Recovery Plan.
