Scottish referee McDonald retires

The man at the centre of the Scottish refereeing crisis, Dougie McDonald, has retired as a Category One match official.

McDonald, 45, has been the subject of heavy criticism after admitting that he misled Celtic manager Neil Lennon over his reasons for changing a penalty decision during the Glasgow team’s 2-1 win over Dundee United in October.

The criticism directed at McDonald and his colleagues by managers and club officials led Scottish referees to strike during the most recent round of matches, forcing the Scottish Football Association (SFA) to call on the services of foreign officials to enable fixtures to go ahead.

Many observers have claimed that the continuing presence of McDonald as a top level referee has critically undermined the credibility of the industrial action.

“It is with regret that I have decided, with immediate effect, to retire from my role as a category one referee,” McDonald said Sunday.

“My category one colleagues decided rightly to withdraw their services from matches this weekend in response to the outrageous way they have been treated by sections within Scottish football and, in my opinion, the lack of support they have received from the SFA General Purposes Committee in recent years.”

“However, their united stand, and the position of strength they have established this weekend, has been clouded by one issue, namely the aftermath of the Dundee United v Celtic match on 17 October.”

“I apologised for my role in that and wanted my previously unblemished 29-year career to move on.”

“Now is the time for all of Scottish football to move on.”

McDonald had been a category one official for 13 years, during which time he refereed 200 league games and two Scottish Cup finals.

His decision to quit comes in the same week as the resignation of Hugh Dallas from his position as the SFA’s head of referee development.