McLean is cleared to make Tannadice return

Jim McLean's return to Dundee United as a director has been given the approval of the Scottish Football Association, but he will have to wait until March to find out if he will be punished following an alleged assault on the BBC reporter, John Barnes.

McLean spent almost two hours at a meeting of the SFA General Purposes Committee at Hampden Park yesterday and refused to comment on the outcome. A major shareholder at the Tayside club, McLean resigned in October 2000 following an alleged assault on Barnes but returned last month as part of a four-man consortium. His appointment was ratified after the committee determined there was no conflict with Article 10 of the Association's rules.

The committee then considered submissions made by McLean's legal team in connection with the possible breach of Article 126 which states: "The Council shall have the power to fine, suspend or expel any recognised football body, club, official, player, referee or other person under the jurisdiction of the Association who, in its opinion, in any way brings the game into disrepute, or on any other grounds it considers sufficient and of which, subject to any right of appeal, it shall be the sole judge."

Following a request by McLean's legal representatives, the committee agreed to adjourn until 14 March, when a full hearing will take place.