29 November, 2010.
Referees
Like so many Scottish football fans, I was angered at last week’s goings on inside the Scottish Football Association and it was not for the first time. I once called for the resignation of a previous SFA Chief Executive who wanted Scotland to play an away game against Estonia on the same day as Princess Diana’s funeral. The SFA was forced by public opinion to abandon the Estonia game but the Chief Executive declared that I would never again be invited to attend another match or function at Hampden Park as long as he was their Chief Executive.
Unfortunately the present Chief Executive, who was imported to Scotland from Yorkshire Cricket, is displaying a similar lack of diplomatic skills with his refusal to back the referees against the uncalled-for abuse by some club managers, players and officials. Scottish football fans deserve better from those who are charged with governing our national game. In any sport the referees/umpires must always be respected and free from abuse and intimidation. Tiny Wharton, Scotland’s last world class referee (the Hugh Dallas of his time) once said to the Rangers Centre half in an Old Firm game, who had shouted “That wasn’t a goal ref”, “was it not son” says Tiny, “have a look at the Sunday papers tomorrow and you’ll find that it was a goal”.
Referees
29 November, 2010.
Referees
Like so many Scottish football fans, I was angered at last week’s goings on inside the Scottish Football Association and it was not for the first time. I once called for the resignation of a previous SFA Chief Executive who wanted Scotland to play an away game against Estonia on the same day as Princess Diana’s funeral. The SFA was forced by public opinion to abandon the Estonia game but the Chief Executive declared that I would never again be invited to attend another match or function at Hampden Park as long as he was their Chief Executive.
Unfortunately the present Chief Executive, who was imported to Scotland from Yorkshire Cricket, is displaying a similar lack of diplomatic skills with his refusal to back the referees against the uncalled-for abuse by some club managers, players and officials. Scottish football fans deserve better from those who are charged with governing our national game. In any sport the referees/umpires must always be respected and free from abuse and intimidation. Tiny Wharton, Scotland’s last world class referee (the Hugh Dallas of his time) once said to the Rangers Centre half in an Old Firm game, who had shouted “That wasn’t a goal ref”, “was it not son” says Tiny, “have a look at the Sunday papers tomorrow and you’ll find that it was a goal”.