Kenny Clark fears new Scottish ref strike

[BrahimHemdani 1]

Are the refs upset?

 

Are you trying to say that a player from, say, St Johnstone will know it's OK knowing that he'll get hit with a �£2,500 fine? Bougherra was found guilty and was punished. Let's not forget that point.

 

 

The fine would be proportionate to any player's earnings, what I am saying is that it is a fraction of a week's wages.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

Edit - the Evening times are reporting "the official’s report says that the player did so “in a pleading gesture not to be sent off”. It did not, therefore, constitute violent or threatening conduct. The Committee also heard evidence from Murray which downplayed the incident."

 

Seems I was right about Diouf anyway. There "ââ?¬Ë?is no rule to say a player has to leave the field when his red card was shown after play has endedââ?¬â?¢.

[calscot 0]

No player should be anywhere near a referee in those circumstances. End of story.

 

End of story? I'm glad you're not on the disciplinary committee. Is it not the case that players are summoned by the ref to be booked? Seems to me they SHOULD be near a referee in those circumstances.

[Zappa 0]

It would be nice if Kenny Clark just buggered off out of the public spotlight and got back to his own life. I really can't understand why anyone would be remotely interested in his opinion unless they were specifically asking him as part of an agenda. Every time there's some sort of controversy Kenny Clark gets trotted out to tell us all what an educated ex-ref with his own Monday column in The Sun thinks about it. Wake me up when he goes away.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

End of story? I'm glad you're not on the disciplinary committee. Is it not the case that players are summoned by the ref to be booked? Seems to me they SHOULD be near a referee in those circumstances.

 

It was bit of hyperbole, I didn't mean it literally.

 

But you are wrong about a player being "summoned", a referee has no such power and a player who stands his ground and makes the referee come to him would be perfectly within his rights. That is why most often you will see a referee make the first move towards the player concerned who then makes a move towards the ref; but I have seen numerous incidents of referees having to go a long way to caution a player typically if the player has retreated into the wall at a free kick.

 

By the way you are right about me and referee committees, I was involved at Amateur level and was well known as a bit of hanging judge.

[Bluedell 5,599]

By the way you are right about me and referee committees, I was involved at Amateur level and was well known as a bit of hanging judge.

 

Why do I not find that hard to believe?

[Guest Dutchy]

Yes, he's probably still a member of the referees association and even if he's not, his voice would be respected. In fact the current refs may be using him as thier mouthpiece rather than one of their number risk the wrath of the SFA in calling for strike action.

 

I was sure he was just a mouthpiece, but I couldn't work out who for?

 

I suppose all these 'professionals' do stick up for each other, but his language is not respectful to our club in the current ongoing accusations by all and sundry.

 

Anyone acting as a mouthpiece tends to be just that, a hot air blower trying to promote their own aganda. I'm so confident that this particular outburst from this mouthpiece will see no action taken by refs. The refs may be unhappy at the leniency dished out to Bougherra and Diouf, but that's not what drove them to 'strike' in the first place.

 

I'm sure it was mostly about their integrity being questioned, by member clubs. Sorry, club.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

"Why do I not find that hard to believe? "

 

I just wanted to insert this but I had to use ten words

[BrahimHemdani 1]

I was sure he was just a mouthpiece, but I couldn't work out who for?

 

I suppose all these 'professionals' do stick up for each other, but his language is not respectful to our club in the current ongoing accusations by all and sundry.

 

Anyone acting as a mouthpiece tends to be just that, a hot air blower trying to promote their own aganda. I'm so confident that this particular outburst from this mouthpiece will see no action taken by refs. The refs may be unhappy at the leniency dished out to Bougherra and Diouf, but that's not what drove them to 'strike' in the first place.

 

I'm sure it was mostly about their integrity being questioned, by member clubs. Sorry, club.

 

You make some good points if I may say.

 

Whilst I have always found Kenny Clark a bit humourless I have to admire him because he came back from an incident that would have ended many a referee's career as he was the one whom missed the Duncan Ferguson head butt at Ibrox in 1994 and yet went on to have an outstanding career as one of our top officials and a FIFA list referee.

 

Perhaps he thinks he's the referees mouthpiece but in reality he's just another self publicist.

 

I guess that makes it more pleasurable for me as someone who just about managed to run the line at Wembley on one occasion (and a certain Mr J Greig's Testimonial) that I knew why Diouf got off (well more or less got off) and he (KC) apparently didn't.

 

As Willie Young is a supervisor and therefore can't comment publicly, it seems that KC and Stuart Dougal are the "go to" retired refs for comment but I do wonder when Hugh Dallas will assume that role.

[chilledbear 16]

Former Grade One referee Stuart Dougal believes football rules prevented the Scottish Football Association handing a stiffer punishment to Madjid Bougherra.

 

The Rangers defender was given a �£2,500 fine after laying hands on referee Calum Murray during a stormy Scottish Cup defeat by Celtic on 2 March.

 

Critics suggested that Bougherra should have received a suspension.

 

But Dougal says that the SFA's hands were tied as referee Calum Murray did not deem the action as aggressive.

 

"Based on the criteria the disciplinary committee were working with, I don't think they have failed," Dougal told BBC Scotland.

 

"If he as the referee viewed it as violent conduct, we are talking a whole different ball game.

 

"He wasn't threatened, there was no violence and in his eyes there was no aggression towards him."

 

Dougal's former referee colleague, Kenny Clark, warned that another referees' strike could result from the lack of action taken in such circumstances.

 

Continue reading the main story

I am sure the they will insist that if any player lays hands on any match official there will be at least a two-match ban and probably more

Stuart Dougal

 

Former Grade One referee

Grade One officials took such an action earlier this season following a barrage of criticism, particularly from Celtic, following a series of decisions.

 

"I don't disagree with Kenny in saying that players shouldn't be laying hands on referees," said Dougal.

 

"But there will be no strike based on this. That was a wee bit sensationalist.

 

"What happened the last time was a built up over years, not over one, two or three comments.

 

"We need to be fair to the SFA in terms of what could they actually do based on the criteria at the moment.

 

"I think they would have liked to have done it, but I think they were unable to do it.

 

"That will change, I am sure the they will insist that if any player lays hands on any match official there will be at least a two-match ban and probably more."

 

This week's disciplinary committee decision also led to stinging criticism of the SFA from Paul McBride, the QC who has represented Celtic manager Neil Lennon before the SFA.

 

McBride was angry that Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist won his appeal against a two-match touchline line ban following a confrontation with Lennon that led to the latter winning his legal battle to have his own recent suspensions run concurrently instead of consecutively.

 

The QC was also critical of the decision not to hand further suspensions to Bougherra and Rangers forward El Hadji Diouf, who was shown a red card for dissent after the same game, and also received a �£5,000 fine.

 

However, Dougal thought that McBride and Clark, as lawyers, should have taken into consideration that the disciplinary committee's power to act was limited by its rules in light of the referee's report.

 

Dougal was generally uncomfortable with the increasing intrusion of lawyers into the workings of the game.

 

"Everybody accepts that there is etiquette and you don't lay your hands on the referee, but when you have lawyers and QCs sitting analysing every word and the position of the referee then the SFA, particularly what they have gone through with Mr McBride and Celtic, need to be bullet proof," he said.

 

"If you want to take a legal mind to go through any rule book, whether it be the SFA's articles, English FA, go through other sports, then there are holes to be picked.

 

"But where does it leave the game? I think we are going down a very dangerous road.

 

"Football should be allowed to police itself and, if you want to participate in football, you have got to accept the rules as they are."