SFA chief vows to attack roots of refs´ strike

Scottish Football Association (SFA) chief executive Stewart Regan promised Monday a thorough review of the governing body’s disciplinary procedures in a bid to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s strike by leading Scottish referees.

Category one officials refused to oversee fixtures and the four Scottish Premier League matches that managed to beat the cold snap were presided over by referees from Luxembourg, Malta and Israel.

Regan, who only took up his post in October having previously been the chief executive of English county cricket club Yorkshire, has found himself having to cope with the fall-out from several controversies.

But he promised Monday a “significant improvement for the Scottish FA and the game in general”.

The catalyst for the strike appeared to be referee Dougie McDonald’s decision to rescind a penalty he awarded to Celtic in a league match against Dundee United last month.

Significantly, McDonald later admitted he’d misled both his supervisor and Celtic manager Neil Lennon over the reasons for his change of heart.

McDonald was subsequently upbraided by the SFA and on Sunday he announced his retirement from refereeing, criticising the national governing body for not doing enough to safeguard the integrity of match officials.

“The last week represented a challenging and traumatic time for Scottish football,” Regan said Monday.

“Now that the refereeing fraternity has made its point through a withdrawal of labour, it is essential for the image and indeed the health of the game that we all learn from this experience to ensure no repeat.”

He added: “In relation to Dougie McDonald’s retirement, we appreciate the difficulties senior referees are facing with increasing pressure exerted on them.

“Dougie felt that pressure in the aftermath of the Dundee United v Celtic game had become intolerable.

“In his statement, Dougie referred to a perceived lack of general support from one of the Scottish FA committees.

“We have already identified the need to make changes to our current disciplinary processes. These changes will lead to significant improvement for the Scottish FA and the game in general.”

The referees have indicated they want to hold fresh talks with the SFA in a bid for root and branch reform.

“We welcome the referees’ intention to sit down and play their part in delivering the changes required,” Regan said.

“I reiterate my personal determination to improve the efficiency and transparency of our decision-making. I have received board support in this regard and it is imperative we are given time to put the changes in place.

“This review will also require the patience and support of clubs, fans and the media, all of whom I am sure will recognise that such measures will benefit the game as a whole.”