Glasgow Clan have suspended head coach Malcolm Cameron and chief executive Gareth Chalmers after signing a player accused of rape following backlash from fans.

The Scottish ice hockey side announced they had signed Lasse Uusivirta on Thursday September 29 only to perform a dramatic U-turn hours later, with all announcements of the Finn's signing taken down from social media. Glasgow Live reports that the club has since cancelled the signing of the 33-year-old, and that chairman Neil Black has moved to suspend two of his leading men.

After the signing was announced it emerged that Uusivirta had been arrested in the USA on rape charges in 2013 - but fled the country 'with no intention of returning', according to the assistant district attorney who handled the case. He was arrested for the alleged sexual assault of an 18-year-old female student on the campus at the University of Alabama Huntsville, where he also played for the college team.

US media reports that the case is essentially closed - but Uusivirta is likely to face charges if he ever returns to the United States. The decision to sign the player sparked fury among fans immediately after the signing was announced.

In a now-deleted announcement on Clan's website, Malcolm Cameron had said he was "glad" to have the Finn join the team as a "really good, all-round player". He would have been based with the team at the Braehead Arena, where they were formerly known as Braehead Clan.

Glasgow Clan published this image announcing the signing - before pulling it
Glasgow Clan published this image announcing the signing - before pulling it

Cameron added: "We were fortunate to find his availability now at this time of year. This is traditionally a tough time to find a guy like that when camps in North America are getting underway. Right now, with the depletion of our back end with injuries, we’re pleased to bring him in and he’ll play some important minutes for us.”

Glasgow Clan also published a video interview with Uusivirta in which the team appears to say it knew about the allegations hanging over the Finn. Interviewer Craig Anderson inaccurately said in the clip that the player had been “absolutely cleared of any charges”. Both the video and the announcement have been wiped from Glasgow Clan's website.

Club chairman Neil Black said: "At 7.45pm last night, I was made aware for the first time of a major situation which merits further internal investigation. This has led to the immediate suspension of both the Clan Chief Executive Gareth Chalmers & the Clan Head Coach Malcolm Cameron."

One fan said Clan's actions were "beyond words for me right now" and another added "whoever thought this was a good idea needs to walk...this will never be okay".

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