Scottish referees' strike: Revisited

[ian1964 10,581]

Who could forget the damage C****c FC done to Scottish football?, and continue to this day!. Despicable club and fans.

 

 

Key dates which led to the current crisis in Scottish football.

 

By Pos Lambrianides

3:47PM GMT 26 Nov 2010

 

17th October: In the game between Dundee United and Celtic at Tannadice Park, referee Dougie McDonald rescinds a decision to give Celtic a penalty, changing his mind after consulting with assistant referee Steven Craven.

 

After the game McDonald tells Celtic manager Neil Lennon that Craven heavily influenced his decision; however the referee realised his own error immediately and only told Lennon this to protect himself.

 

McDonald later receives an official warning from the Scottish Football Association for lying over his reasons.

 

24th October: Neil Lennon’s side lose 3-1 in the Old Firm derby against Rangers, leading to criticism of referee Willie Collum’s handling of the game.

Speaking about the penalty Collum awarded for Rangers’ opening goal, Lennon said: “I feel let down on the penalty incident for sure. I'm not sure [Collum] saw it and I'm not sure why he has given it. He has got a lot of questions to answer.”

 

Later that evening, Collum receives a series of threatening phone calls at his home.

 

25th October: Steven Craven, the assistant referee at the centre of the controversial penalty incident at Tannadice Park, resigns from refereeing after feeling he was the victim of “harassment and bullying” from his SFA superiors.

 

28th October: Former top-flight official Kenny Clark warns that several referees are considering quitting the game amid a backlash over decisions.

 

10th November: Neil Lennon is sent to the stand during Celtic’s 2-0 defeat by Hearts after complaining over referee Craig Thomson's failure to award his team a penalty. Lennon accuses Thomson of making “scandalous” decisions.

 

21st November: It is confirmed that 31 of the 33 category one Scottish match officials have voted to refuse to referee the matches they have been allocated on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th November.

 

The decision follows the abuse that has come their way this season, with referees claiming their personal safety is under threat, both on the pitch, and from fans.

 

23rd November: The Scottish Football Association reveals they have sourced foreign officials to referees for this weekend’s games.

 

24th November: Talks are held in a bid to persuade the officials to call off their proposed strike.

Plans to recruit replacement referees are hit after referees from Iceland, Norway and Wales indicated they would not be willing to cross the metaphorical picket line.

 

25th November: The SFA announce category one referees have refused to back down over strike action and seek stand-ins from Poland, Israel, Portugal and Malta.

The SFA later confirm that all six games in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, the three scheduled Scottish Cup replays and Sunday's ALBA Challenge Cup final will go ahead as planned, as well as the Irn-Bru First Division match between Morton and Falkirk which was chosen by ballot.

 

26th November: Having previously confirmed they would supply referees, Polish FA officials withdrew their men citing domestic responsibilities. As a result Morton's game against Falkirk match is postponed.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/scottish-premier/8162611/Scottish-referees-strike-timeline.html

[ian1964 10,581]

Fixtures in Scotland face possible postponement next weekend after Category One referees voted to strike.

 

Scottish match officials are upset with the avalanche of flak that has come their way this season.

 

BBC Scotland has learned that officials are concerned that their integrity is constantly being questioned by some clubs and individuals.

 

And there are increasing fears among referees over personal safety as a result of public criticism.

 

The decision to take strike action was reached at a referees' union meeting held on Sunday afternoon, with unanimous backing.

 

There are six Scottish Premier League games scheduled for next weekend. There is also a full card in the Scottish Football League.

 

The ALBA Challenge Cup final between Queen of the South and Ross County at McDiarmid Park is under threat, as are any Scottish Cup replays.

 

"Referees are at the end of their tether, and it's not just how it's impacting on them but it's the impact it's all having on their families and business lives," former referee Kenny Clark told BBC Scotland. "Businesses in which referees are employed are being targeted by fans sending hate emails to employers saying things like, 'why are you employing this guy?'"

 

Celtic have voiced concerns about refereeing standards this season and last and BBC Scotland has also learned that the Glasgow club would welcome the strike. It is understood Celtic hope that it could lead to a wider independent investigation and want Uefa to intervene in what they think is a refereeing crisis.

 

On Thursday, Celtic chairman John Reid called for the resignation of referee Dougie McDonald, saying "his position is completely untenable" after he was warned by the Scottish Football Association for lying about his reasons for overturning a penalty award.

 

In the wake of McDonald's admission of deception, SFA chief executive Stewart Regan has promised an overhaul of how referees are disciplined.

 

Celtic manager Neil Lennon was critical of the McDonald episode and has since questioned refereeing decisions after defeats to Rangers and Hearts.

 

And Celtic striker Gary Hooper caused a storm when he said the thought referees "want" to give decisions against his team because they are one of the world's big clubs.

 

Politicians have also been getting in on the act, with SNP sport spokesman Pete Wishart calling for referees to be forced to declare which team they support.

 

Clark is in no doubt that it is the pressure from Celtic that has led to the strike action. "John Reid put the tin lid on it in terms of the meeting today," he added. "His comments have toppled the table over. "I think what the referees are trying to do is put down a marker and saying to clubs, 'we can't continue like this or we'll end up with no referees!' "It's only a matter of time before a referee or a member of his family is physically attacked because of how it's being whipped up. Clubs are effectively encouraging it up by what they're doing."

 

Motherwell are at home to Hearts on Sunday in a match that is scheduled for live television coverage and manager Craig Brown believes strike action would unfairly harm his club.

"It's a radical course of action, a step too far," he told BBC Radio Scotland.

 

"One of the rules of refereeing is that the non-offending team should not be penalised. I have never publicly criticised referees. "We would lose gate money and television money if the game is called off and that revenue is vital to a club of our size."

 

Kilmarnock boss Mixu Paatelainen was more sympathetic, saying: "If it happens, it's disappointing. But there has been too much talk of referees and I don't think that's healthy.

"Referees feel the strain and they might be a little bit more nervous before matches than usual and that maybe affects their ability. "Hopefully, there is a solution before the weekend but I understand how they are feeling."

 

Scottish Premier League referees planned to strike over pay in 2008 but the threat was lifted when a review was set up to study their wage demands.

 

The SFA are not commenting on the matter, with a spokesman saying they have not had any official notification of the planned strike.

 

A source at the SPL told BBC Scotland: "This is a matter for the SFA and the referees. The SFA have a contract to provide us with officials and we expect them to honour that."

In December 2008, SPL managers jointly agreed to refrain from speaking about refereeing decisions after matches. However, the experiment was short-lived.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/9214212.stm

[ian1964 10,581]

At the root of the dispute was a decision three weeks ago in which a penalty was not rewarded to Celtic – Scotland’s biggest club, formed 123 years ago by Irish Catholic immigrants.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333636/Scottish-referee-strike-forces-cancellation-15-weekend-games.html#ixzz4uHAFW3R2

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[RANGERRAB 3,390]

This and the Hugh Dallas sacking showed who was/is running Scottish football which remains a toxic brand

 

No right-minded CEO would want their company associated with it other than betting companies

[der Berliner 3,444]

Maybe the SFA should hire some English EPL folk for the next Old Firm game? ... In any case, it would be good if we had an impartial ref commentating on the game and then we revisit each decision, with both the actual commentary and the slow-mo of each incident also being seen by the ref and commented on.