SOCCER SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE:THE CHIEF executive of the Scottish Football Association, Stewart Regan, last night claimed he had "every sympathy" with Scotland's disgruntled referees despite drawing up plans to hire foreign match officials if their proposed strike goes ahead this weekend.
Regan, along with the SFA president George Peat, will continue talks with the Scottish Senior Football Referees’ Association this week in an attempt to avert action that threatens to postpone Premier League, Football League and cup fixtures. A meeting of the country’s leading officials on Sunday voted to strike in response to recent public criticism that, they claim, has questioned their integrity and threatened their safety.
Uefa, European football’s governing body, yesterday distanced themselves from the dispute while the English Premier League does not have the resources to cover two leagues. But that has not deterred the SFA from seeking outside help if Scotland’s 31 category-one officials refuse to cross the white line.
“I have every sympathy for the refereeing fraternity at this time and completely understand why incessant scrutiny, criticism and questioning of their integrity has brought them to the brink of a withdrawal of labour,” said Regan. “I cannot, however, condone what will amount to strike action and believe we must now engage in positive dialogue to avert the possibility that we will have no football this weekend.
“This scenario is not helpful to the image or reputation of the game. Fulfilling the weekend fixture calendar is our priority and we have an obligation to the leagues, supporters, clubs, sponsors and media partners to do our utmost to ensure all senior games are refereed. While we remain hopeful that the situation can be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, we have no option but to draw up contingency plans, which will involve sourcing match officials in other countries.”
The new SFA chief executive is in the midst of an internal review designed to “help improve the efficiency, transparency and accountability of the governing body”, with demands for change increasing following several recent controversies involving Celtic.
John Reid, the Celtic chairman, has called for the dismissal of the referee Dougie McDonald, who overturned a penalty awarded to Celtic against Dundee United last month then admitted lying to their manager Neil Lennon over the circumstances behind the decision. Referees are believed to want guarantees that the scrutiny and criticism from clubs will be toned down before calling off the strike.
Peat denied Reid’s demands were central to the issue. “We haven’t even discussed that but the comments certainly weren’t helpful,” he said. However, in a statement, the president admitted: “Unfortunately the behaviour of some people in recent weeks has tarnished the image of Scottish football. It has demeaned the game. The culture of inference, innuendo and conspiracy theories must stop.”
The SFA has a contractual obligation to provide referees for the Scottish Premier League but its contingency plans are fraught with complications. One option is to temporarily promote lower-ranking officials for the weekend but the decision to strike is understood to have received unanimous support from the 10 category-two referees present at Sunday’s meeting.
Uefa could also be asked to supply match officials from throughout Europe, although a spokesman for the governing body stated: “This is a purely domestic matter.”
GuardianService
