All Scottish Premier League matches scheduled for this weekend will go ahead despite a planned strike by leading Scottish referees after the Scottish FA (SFA) reached agreement with “several European national associations”, the governing body said yesterday.
However, matches in the three lower tiers of the Scottish Football League (SFL) have been badly affected with only Morton’s First Division clash with Falkirk tomorrow and the ALBA Challenge Cup final between Ross County and Queen of the South on Sunday, surviving the industrial action.
“The Scottish FA can confirm agreement has been reached with several European National Associations to ensure matches in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and the Alba Cup final will be covered this weekend,” a Scottish FA statement said.
However, an SFL statement issued later yesterday said: “We have had to prioritise what resources we have been allocated this weekend for SFL games and with these limited resources, we have been able to appoint a set of match officials for our First Division game between Morton and Falkirk.
“Having been provided with only one set of match officials over and above the Challenge Cup Final, we allocated match officials to this match as a result of a drawing of lots, which we believe was the fairest and most open way to allocate these match officials.”
Meanwhile SFA chief executive Stewart Regan told BBC Reporting Scotland that there need not be any qualms about the standard of officiating this weekend.
“These are FIFA listed officials or category one referees from their own countries. So they are proper referees.”
Scotland’s top or category one referees have chosen to strike in protest at what they say is the “intolerable pressure” placed on their personal and professional lives as a result of the fall-out from some of their recent on-field decisions.
A statement issued earlier yesterday by the referees said: “The incessant and adverse nature of recent comments on referees had placed intolerable pressures on personal and professional lives and that statements questioning honesty and integrity aimed across refereeing in general had led to an unprecedented level of abuse and genuine concerns for safety and for the ability to carry out normal family and business commitments.
“On Wednesday, all category one referees ratified their original decision (to strike this weekend).”
The season in Scotland so far has witnessed several high-profile refereeing controversies, notably involving Dougie McDonald’s handling of Celtic’s 2-1 win over Dundee United last month – where he awarded Celtic what looked like a deserved penalty before overturning the decision after consulting a linesman.
McDonald was warned by the SFA referees’ committee over his failure to give an accurate report of the circumstances surrounding his rescinding of the Celtic penalty.
Referee Willie Collum meanwhile received threatening phone calls after awarding Rangers a dubious penalty during their 3-1 victory at Celtic Park.
Hoops chairman John Reid said that McDonald should quit or be removed by the SFA after he admitted misleading Celtic manager Neil Lennon over that decision.