INT SPL - Scottish Premier League

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Arsene Wenger: It is not a good idea for Scottish referees to strike

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has had his say in the debate surrounding Scottish referees, claiming he is surprised the officials have decided to go on strike.

The Scottish FA announced that all Clydesdale Bank Premier League matches will go ahead this weekend, despite Scotland’s grade one referees undertaking strike action after they reached an agreement with other European national associations which will see their referees in charge of the matches.

Scotland's grade one referees had earlier confirmed that they would be upholding their decision to strike and this put all fixtures in Scotland in serious doubt.

Wenger told Arsenal's official website: "It's a surprise to me that the referees decide to go on strike because we want our games to go on.

"I don't really like in a job where it is about passion, desire to give entertainment to people, that we start to strike.

"I think basically it is not a good idea."

Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish has also added his thoughts, insisting that Scottish referees have been treated unfairly.

He said: "It is pretty sad that it has come to this.

"The Scottish refs deserve better treatment.

"People up in Scotland have got to get a grip of themselves and stop slaughtering them every week.

"I know referees have been hammered since time began and it will continue until time ends.

"But we should know when to draw a line - and we've gone over that line."

 

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Israel, Luxembourg and Portugal provide referees for SPL matches

The Scottish Football Association have announced they have managed to draft in referees from Portugal, Malta, Luxembourg and Israel to cover Scottish Premier League games.

Despite the withdrawal of Polish referees, all six Scottish Premier League matches as well as the ALBA Challenge Cup game will go ahead this weekend after the recruitment of foreign officials.

With Scottish referees on strike this weekend the Scottish FA had lined up Polish officials to replace them, but it was subsequently claimed they were needed in their home country. However, substitutes have been found from other countries around Europe.

Experienced referee Alain Hamer from Luxembourg has been confirmed as the man who will take charge of both Old Firm teams this weekend.

Hamer and his assistants, also from Luxembourg, will officiate Celtic's home match with Inverness Caledonian Thistle before travelling to Dundee United for Sunday's visit of Rangers.

A Portuguese team including Cosme Machado and Joao Ferreira will also referee two weekend matches, with each of them taking the whistle once.

Machado will referee Hibernian against St Johnstone, whilst Ferreira will oversee Motherwell and Hearts.

The other two games will be officiated by Israeli officials, with Meir Levy refereeing Hamilton and St Mirren, whilst Eli Hacmon takes charge of Kilmarnock and Aberdeen.

However, three more fixtures were added to the list of casualties due to the strike. Matches between Morton and Falkirk, Threave Rovers and Stenhousemuir, plus Annan and Brechin were all postponed.

 

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Portuguese referees due to take charge of SPL games fly home

Two referees who were drafted in to take charge of Scottish Premier League games have left Scotland, according to STV.

The Portuguse officials, one of them believed to be Cosme Machado, have left the country without giving an explanation.

It is the latest in a chain of events that have seen numerous nationalities announced as officials for the weekends forthcoming fixtures, after Scottish referees striked after treatment from players and managers.

Machado was due to referee the game between Hibernian and St Johnstone at Easter Road. The officials got as far as Glasgow airport before turning back because there is "an issue" with the Portuguese officials.

The Scottish FA remain adament that the games will procede and have a contingency plan.

The other Scottish Premier League matches are set to officiated by officials from Malta, Luxembourg, Israel and Portugal.

 

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Celtic - Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Halting Caley's unbeaten away run

Celtic will head into the match looking to beat Inverness' record of having not lost away in a year.

“Much has been made in the build-up to this game about Inverness’ impressive away league record, and the fact they haven’t lost an away league fixture since November last year," Hoops boss Neil Lennon wrote in his matchday programme notes.

“That is an impressive statistic and Terry Butcher’s side deserve a lot of credit for having maintained that level of consistency on the road.

“It is another reminder that today’s game will be a tough one for us – every game is – and we will have to be at our very best in order to have any chance of success.

“We are at home, of course, and our aim is to deliver a victory for our supporters. That’s what we’ll be setting out to do, and your backing is vital in this task," Lennon urged.

An unusual presence

After all the controversy surrounding match officials in the past few weeks, and with the Scoottish whistle-blowers on strike, a team from Luxembourg, led by Alan Hamer, will take charge of the game.

It is very rare that a team of officials from a foreign country take charge of a domestic game so this should add to the atmosphere within the stadium.

The referee will then be officiating in Sunday's game involving Rangers, so it will be interesting to see whether his fitness is up to the task.

 

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Celtic 2-2 Inverness CT

Inverness Caledonian Thistle came back from two goals down to snatch a draw from Celtic and celebrate a year-long unbeaten away record. Celtic had looked set to return to the top of the Scottish Premier League after moving 2-0 up through goals from Ki Sung-Yeung and Paddy McCourt but a spirited Inverness pulled their way back into the game with goals from Richie Foran and Grant Munro.

Charlie Mulgrew was brought in by Celtic to replace the injured left-back Emilio Izaguirre, whilst Jos Hooiveld replaced Niall McGinn to take his place in a three-man central defence alongside Thomas Rogne and Daniel Majstorovic, leaving Daryl Murphy and Gary Hooper in attack.

Inverness remained unchanged from last week's win at Hibernian, with Adam Rooney up front. The first few mintues of the game saw chances for both teams as Celtic's Murphy played a neat ball to Shaun Maloney, who saw his efforts saved by Inverness goalkeeper Ryan Esson.

Just moments later Celtic defender Mulgrew had to be alert as he managed to block a Rooney shot. Inverness piled on the pressure before Murphy put the ball in the back of the net for Celtic, only to be judged offside by Luxembourg referee Alan Hamer.

The opening goal came seven minutes before the interval as Ki found the end of a McCourt pass to strike the ball off the near post and into the Inverness goal. Inverness continued to pile on the pressure in the second half through a succession of corners and early possession. A Stuart Duff cross led to Majstorovic clearing the ball for Celtic, which Murphy ceased onto before firing over Esson's crossbar.

Substitute McCourt picked up the ball 25-yards out and dribbled past the Inverness defence before scoring a 65th minute goal, Celtic's 600th home SPL goal. Just five minutes later Foran took advantage of a defensive slip by Rogne to fire in off the post and half the deficit for the visitors.

Hayes sent a head over the bar as Inverness searched for an equaliser before Munro hit a spectacular overhead kick, from a Tokely corner with just seven minutes of the game left, to silence the home fans.

 

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Neil Lennon blasts his side after Celtic surrender two-goal lead against Inverness CT

Celtic manager Neil Lennon berated players following their 2-2 draw at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle. The hosts surrendered a two-goal lead to Terry Butcher's side and failed to overtake Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premier League.
Lennon's men were cruising with 25 minutes to go, after a wonder strike from Paddy McCourt doubled Celtic's advantage following Ki Sung-Yeung's opener before half-time.

The commanding lead was subsequently thrown away, as Inverness scored two goals to dent the Celtic's title ambitions.

"I'm pretty livid, to say the leas," Lennon told reporters.

"It's the manner of the goals we're conceding that's most alarming. I should be talking about Paddy McCourt, the goal he scored.

"It was a wonder goal. But, unfortunately, I'm not talking about him, and we really have to do better.

"It's individual glaring mistakes that you expect from novices, really.

"The manner of the goals deflate the team and we didn't have a lot to help the team cover.

"I didn't think Inverness were a threat at all and we gifted them a goal out of nothing. That's the most galling thing. It's not good enough."

Lennon also spoke of his concern over his side's home form, which has stuttered so far this season.

He said: "You want to win your home games, so it's a worrying trend to be at home, concede leads and drop points.

"We'll have to lift ourselves and get over it as quickly as possible, but we can't keep making individual errors and defend set-pieces a bit better. We have to dispel this quickly."

 

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SFA chief Stewart Regan hoping referees call off their strike

SFA chief executive Stewart Regan is hoping that Scottish referees call off their strike, as they have made their point to the authorities by boycotting this weekend's set of fixtures.

Foreign referees had to be drafted in to officiate games in the SPL on Saturday, all of which went ahead as scheduled. But ten Scottish Football League matches had to be abandoned owing to the strike.

"We have recognised that we do need to support referees more and we have made a certain number of offers to do that," Regan told BBC Radio 5 live.

"If we can put those measures in place, we can satisfy the referees that we are taking their point seriously.

"Our understanding is it's one weekend to make a point. Hopefully they'll be back next week.

Having made their point, the referees are expected to return to action for the upcoming set of fixtures.

And Regan has promised that the SFA will take a harsh stance on players questioning their decisions.

"We will be very tough on any player who challenges or abuses referees in a way that is unacceptable," he continued.

"There is a process in place already for dealing with anybody from any club that steps out of line. Those individuals are dealt with through the various committees that operate within the SFA and that will continue.

"But obviously we will take a much tougher stance, going forward.

"I came out last week and said that I sympathised with the position referees have found themselves in.

"Over a period of weeks they have taken an awful lot of stick in the press. Their integrity had been challenged, lots of questions had been asked about them.

"A number of them had received threats, which is really not on.

"As a governing body, we met with the referees and proposed a number of areas of improvement but, unfortunately, they wished to have a weekend of action to make a point, which I personally didn't agree with.

"That's why we had to go elsewhere to bring in referees."

Referee John McKendrick told BBC Radio Scotland: "It was always our intention to take a time out, have a moment of reflection, then get back to normal next Saturday.

"We've had an understanding response from everybody involved in football.

"Things won't change overnight. We have to work towards a climate where we can have an open discussion with clubs and players."

 

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Scottish referee Dougie McDonald retires as category one official in wake of SPL

Referee Dougie McDonald announced his decision to retire as a category one referee with immediate effect on Sunday night, following the first Scottish football referees’ strike in history this weekend.

"It is with regret that I have decided, with immediate effect, to retire from my role as a category one referee,” McDonald announced in a brief statement

McDonald has been criticised for misleading Celtic manager Neil Lennon after he withdrew a penalty originally awarded to the Hoops in the match played against Dundee United in October.

After the match, McDonald admitted that he had realised his own error and had consulted the assistant referee only to confirm his mistake.

The 45-year-old was subsequently issued with a warning by the Scottish Football Association and an investigation was led by SFA chief executive Stewart Regan.

Calls were made for McDonald to be sacked if he went on being a Scottish official and the row over the incident helped to fuel this weekend’s referee strike.

"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.

"My decision will therefore remove that issue from the debate and ensure that the next day of action - which, in my opinion, will undoubtedly come if the football community does not have a massive change of heart - will result in media coverage being concentrated on those who engage in referee bashing and those who condone it."

 

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All six SPL matches called off this weekend due to severe weather conditions

All of the Scottish Premier League matches due to take place on Saturday December 4 have been postponed due to severe weather conditions in most parts of the country.

This follows postponents last weekend in both England and Scotland due to snow and other forms of adverse weather conditions, and now the authorities in Scotland have accepted that the severe weather conditions will remain until at least the next coming weekend.

In a statement released on the website of the Scottish Premier League, the body outlined the reasons for the early postponement.

"It is hoped that this early notice of postponement, whilst disappointing, will allow everyone to plan accordingly. New dates for the fixtures will be announced in due course," the statement read.

The full list of postponed SPL fixtures:

Aberdeen v Celtic
Hibernian v St Mirren
Inverness CT v Dundee United
Motherwell v Kilmarnock
Rangers v Hearts
St Johnstone v Hamilton Accies

 

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Scottish clubs demand compensation after referees strike leave them out of pocket

Clubs in the Scottish Football League are seeking compensation after their matches were postponed last week due to a refereeing strike. The 10 clubs expect the SFL to present their case to the Scottish Football Association after the latter’s failure to find enough foreign refs to officiate matches outside the Scottish Premier League.

And Stirling Albion director Paul Goodwin said to BBC Sport Scotland: "The clubs in the league collectively have come together and said we are not happy with this."

Ahead of last week’s strike Cowdenbeath chairman Donald Findlay warned of the increased financial pressure his club would face after the loss of revenue. The Blue Brazil were expected to play Dunfermline in a local derby, however they were not the only sufferers of the strike. In other First Division games Greenock Morton were expecting a bumper crowd against promotion candidates Falkirk at Cappeliow, as were Raith Rovers who were expecting the visit of Dundee.

Stirling Albion were due to play Partick Thistle, and Goodwin has already expressed his determination to reclaim the difference in revenue between a midweek and weekend fixture.

"We have a valid claim, we believe, for round about £10,000," he said, revealing that Albion have already spoken to the SFL's chief executive.

"We certainly were quite vocal about it and we circulated the rest of the clubs who had the home fixtures and I think to a man everyone's ready to chap on David Longmuir's door to say we want you to represent us by talking to the SFA to see where we are due some sort of compensation."

Scotland’s category one referees took the action after they felt their integrity was being called into question following remarks from SPL clubs, with Celtic leading the criticism.

"We have spoken to David Longmuir at length and sent him a letter outlining the issues that we had and, in particular, the loss of revenue that was nothing to do with ourselves," said Goodwin.

With the SFA, struggling to find enough refs to officiate matches across the Scottish leagues priority was given to the six SPL matches and three other Scottish Cup replays under its own jurisdiction ahead of the SFL matches. Only one game remained in the lower leagues after Morton v Falkirk was drawn out a ballot. However, after the dramatic u-turn from Polish referees — who revealed they had been brought under false pretences — this game was also postponed.

"There was a ballot for the Scottish League clubs, but not for the SPL clubs," said Goodwin.

"We understand they've got bigger media commitments and everything like that.

"But, whether the compensation is coming down from the SFA or SFL or a mixture of the two, or the SPL, I know not, but I just know that we weren't at the races when it came to the point of the referees."

Goodwin and the rest of the clubs will have to rely on what he describes as a "sense of fairness" to win compensation.

Longmuir has already conceded that unlike his SPL counterparts he had no formal contact with the SFA to supply referees.

"I believe there is a contract of sorts," said Goodwin.

"When I probed to try and find out, I was told that, for a hundred years, there has not been a contract and it has all been done pretty much on the shake of a hand and a nod of the head.

"Of course, if there is a contract and there is a breach of a contract in normal everyday life, you have some kind of fiscal return in place for that.

"But there doesn't seem to be anything formal that we can see."