The Rancid Grip on Scottish Football

[ian1964 10,428]

Scottish referees vote for strike action

 

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

Edited August 17, 2017 by ian1964

[ian1964 10,428]

Do you mean politically or financially? If the latter, I think you would be hard pressed to find millionaires willing to throw serious money at a club in Scotland, with no guarantee of a return in investment. We already have Rangers supporters on the board, who by our standards are pretty wealthy and are front loading income iro transfer fees for Pedro. How would we go about getting Chinese/Russian/Arab money when being a club owner in Scotland carries no prestige and very little opportunity for international exposure?

 

We are in a hole, no question and I am just not sure how we can narrow the gap in the immediate short term. However as per RBR's comments above, I think it is unlikely that Celtic will progress to the group stages after this year, so we may find ourselves on a similar footing to them in obtaining of finance from the Scottish game thereafter. At that time, scouting and the academy will be paramount. Playing the Rangers Lotto and supporting the next share offering will support both initiatives.

 

I mean politically!, our board are way too soft for a fight!

[Darthter 542]

There is only one way to release the grip they have....beat them on the pitch!!! Overcome anything that is put in our path & win.

 

I believe they are reliant on the CL monies....take that away from them & they will struggle, maybe not initially, but the effects won't take long to become visible. They have a massive player pool, on good wages. the majority of these players are not playing so therefore can't command massive transfers or even general interest from other teams. Therefore contract wither need to be run-down or paid off - both require funds to do so.

 

Beating them regularly will also start to shatter the "unbeatable" illusion. A single win will put a crack in the glass.....couple of wins and that crack starts to spread & grow. This then instils confidence in the other teams who start believing that they have a chance - this has been shown in matches against us.

[RANGERRAB 3,268]

Fortunately and unfortunately the golden egg that is the champions league is about to end for countries such as ours .After this season the top countries have 24 of the 32 automatic spots already claimed .The scottish wonners have 6 ties , 12 games to get through to claim a spot , this includes eventually playing the 2nd placed teams from , turkey , greece , swiss , dutch greek and austrian leagues.

Quite possibly this is the last year a Scottish team is in the C/L .

 

not quite so is it? the 'champions path' is being retained but with one less place as far as I understand?

[rbr 1,247]

Not how the c/ l web site shows

 

 

[rbr 1,247]

There are 24 guarenteed places for the major nations , leaving only 8 available places , ive got a picture of how it looks

 

 

[RANGERRAB 3,268]

There are 24 guarenteed places for the major nations , leaving only 8 available places , ive got a picture of how it looks

 

have u got a link?

 

my understanding is the top 4 seeded countries will each get four places=16. the leaves 16 places

[rbr 1,247]

This is the layout , at the top is the qualifying rounds , if ive read it wrong its my fault but i think im right

 

 

[rbr 1,247]

have u got a link?

 

my understanding is the top 4 seeded countries will each get four places=16. the leaves 16 places

Yeah but there are other countries guaranteed their champions as well its not just the top 4

 

 

[RANGERRAB 3,268]

there are 24 places taken.

 

two of the remaining places comes from the N2 and N3 playing each other. two are from the previous season's CL & EL winners.

the remaining four is from CH playing each other. that's how I see it

Edited August 17, 2017 by RANGERRAB