Fine line between box-office bluster and dangerous bile

SHORT of establishing a peace and reconciliation tribunal in the hope of bringing respite to this troubled realm, there really is no hope that Scottish football will ever — ever — be allowed to sail serenely along on becalmed waters. Good. Because arguments and rows are the very lifeblood of our game. That doesn’t mean we can’t take issue with some of the more outlandish opinions vented. But it’s important to separate the brilliant box office — the court is asked to accept testimony by Craig Levein and Steven Gerrard on the subject of Alfredo Morelos’ playing style — and the truly dangerous nonsense. This, of course, is where the SFA comes in. Sometimes. They’d require the wisdom of Solomon to judge some of the potential cases put in front of them. And the instance of Levein ripping into Bobby Madden may well test their judgment to the limit. Levein’s argument boils down to one simple point. Referees cannot be the only people in football who are immune to criticism. It’s a complaint you’ll hear often from football folk, all of whom have been on the receiving end of stick since they first pulled on boots. Come match day, footballers can expect to be verbally hammered by the gaffer, opponents, certain team-mates and, of course, the paying punters. Managers? It never ends for them, with many, including the Hearts manager, prone to bouts of public self-flagellation. And Levein’s point is that, if he can criticise himself and his players, why shouldn’t he be allowed to use a word like ‘abysmal’ to describe Madden’s performance in Sunday’s home loss to Rangers? The key element will be whether in his comments he’s actually questioned the character or integrity of the referee. Speak to any senior referee and they’ll insist that they don’t want to be wrapped in cotton wool. Yet, wary of creating a soap opera, the SFA naturally shy away from introducing any real transparency into the system. So the impression given is of stonewalling all criticism, raising the men in black above everyone else in the game. Don’t agree? Let’s have a heated debate. This is Scottish football. It’s what we do.