Dunfermline chairman Ross McArthur will step down at the end of this season following ‘abhorrent personal abuse and attacks’, a club statement has confirmed.
McArthur has been a member of the board since 2014 and, prior to that, was at the heart of the Pars United movement which helped to rescue the Fife outfit from the spectre of liquidation in 2013.
He succeeded Bob Garmory as Dunfermline chairman in 2016 and, under his stewardship, Dunfermline have regularly challenged for a promotion playoff berth in the Championship.
And while the appointment of Peter Grant proved an ill-fated decision, the anger from a small minority of individuals towards the tail-end of his reign spilled over.
Unacceptable verbal attacks on McArthur and his fellow directors occurred, including acts of physical intimidation.
And McArthur has made the decision to relinquish his position at the end of the current campaign.
A club statement read: “Ross has worked tirelessly, and on a wholly voluntary basis, for the club over the whole of that period.
“Everyone on the DAFC Board is disappointed at Ross’s decision, which he made a few weeks ago, but fully understands why he wishes to stand down following abhorrent personal abuse and attacks to which he was subjected.”
‘A debt of gratitude’
McArthur was also the driving force behind the search for fresh investment which resulted in DAFC Fussball GmbH purchasing a majority shareholding in the club.
The statement continued: “When Ross stands down in May, the club will be in a much stronger position than the club which came out of administration in December 2013.
“Everyone associated with the club owes Ross a huge debt of gratitude.”
