Rangers chief calls on SFA to put swift end to ‘re-refereeing games’
RANGERS claim the “re-refereeing of games” is putting unfair pressure on match officials.
Ibrox managing director Stewart Robertson has called for clubs to seek change from the Scottish Football Association after criticising the approach of compliance officer Clare Whyte, who replaced Tony McGlennan in late August last year.
The complaint comes after Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor received a retrospective two-match ban for a studsup challenge on Aberdeen’s Lewis Ferguson.
Robertson said: “If you go back to previous seasons, it was only incidents of violent conduct or off-the-ball incidents the referees didn’t see that would be reconsidered.
“What we are now getting ourselves into is a situation where many more incidents are being looked at and we are effectively re-refereeing the games.
“That is placing intolerable pressures on the referees, which is then placing pressures on the compliance system and the disciplinary system.
“We feel we should now be looking to go back to what the system was previously where it was violent conduct and off-theball incidents that should be reviewed only.”
Nine top-flight players have received notices of complaint from the SFA so far this season. Five of the suspensions have been accepted by the clubs involved and the other four were upheld by an independent judicial panel.
Whyte must first receive unanimous approval from three former match officials before issuing a notice of complaint.
The SFA’s online disciplinary updates only go back to December 2017 but there were only three notices of complaints issued to Premiership players — all accepted — during the final six months of last season.
Robertson said: “Clare came in at the start of this season and there is no doubt things have been dealt with differently.
“Some of the incidents which have been reviewed this year wouldn’t have been reviewed last year. That is leading to the confusion — there is much more inconsistency and it definitely feels as if we are re-refereeing games.
“It also feels as though the incidents which are being highlighted on TV are the incidents which are being picked up by the compliance officer on a Monday.”
The SFA declined to comment.