Elgin City have suspended manager Allan Hale with immediate effect following the launch of an internal investigation into the boss.
The Highlanders wrapped up the season in sixth place in League Two, Scottish football’s bottom tier, following their final game of the season on Saturday.
The Borough Briggs club have now dropped the bombshell in an official statement, which read: “Elgin City Football Club can confirm that the first team manager has been suspended from his duties with immediate effect, pending an ongoing investigation.
“The club will make no further comment until the investigation has concluded.”
Hale has been at the helm for two-and-a-half years, during which time he has played a significant role in strengthening the club.
The former Fraserburgh player was handed the Elgin City job in December 2023 when the club were embroiled in a relegation battle, reports the Daily Record.
He departed Highland League side Huntly alongside his No. 2 Stefan Laird to take the reins at Elgin — and successfully steered them clear of the drop in his maiden season.
Hale went on to build real momentum at the club, guiding them into the play-offs in his first season, where they were beaten by Annan Athletic, before narrowly missing out on a repeat this campaign.
View 2 ImagesElgin City play at Borough Briggs(Image: SNS Group)
Elgin finished sixth in League Two, having taken 44 points from their 26 games with 11 wins, 11 draws and 14 defeats. They finished the campaign on a run of five games without a win following a final-day 1-0 defeat by Stranraer.
“We read the narrative about the club being in League 2 for 27 years and people looking at that as a negative,” Hale said on the weekend. “For me I don’t think that’s a negative at all. I actually think it says a lot about the resilience of the football club.
“If you look at Elgin it’s geographically one of the most difficult teams to manage in Scottish football.
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“In the sense of the geographical challenges it brings, the budget, the realities that we’re working with and the ability to get people to want to make the travel commitments that they have to do in order to play for Elgin.”
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