YOU’RE EMBARRASSING!
St Mirren manager Goodwin slams SFA over refereeing Covid gaffe:
ST MIRREN boss Jim Goodwin has described the SFA’s Covid-19 blunder as an ‘embarrassment’. The governing body apologised to Hibs and Hamilton on Sunday after an assistant referee who should have been self-isolating was allowed to officiate at Easter Road 24 hours earlier.
Graeme Stewart was one of a team of Scots — alongside Bobby Madden and David Roome — who had overseen a Greek derby between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos the previous weekend.
Roome later tested positive on their return, while Stewart and Madden returned negatives.
However, it emerged that the SFA’s head of referees, Crawford Allan, did not factor in differences between UEFA and Scottish Government protocols and should have ensured that Roome’s colleagues went into self-isolation as close contacts of the official.
When the error was uncovered, Stewart had already run the line at the Hibs-Accies game before referee Madden was pulled out of Ross County’s 1-0 win over Celtic in Dingwall on Sunday night.
Sportsmail understands Hibs don’t expect there to be any knock-on effect to their squad, with the social-distancing measures in place at Easter Road reducing the risk of any close contact, according to those familiar with match-day arrangements.
However, Saints boss Goodwin questioned the wisdom of allowing referees to fly to Greece during a lockdown, with the episode bringing more unwanted attention on Scottish football.
Only last week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called on the game to ‘get its house in order’ after five Rangers players breached Covid protocols by attending a house party in Glasgow.
Goodwin said: ‘It looks as if the situation has been overlooked and there’s been a real mistake made by someone.
‘It’s slightly embarrassing, there’s no doubt about that, especially a week or so after the First Minister gave us all a slap on the wrist and told us to get things in order.
‘It’s a little bit embarrassing for the association to have that thrown at them this week.
‘I don’t think any of us need any more wake-up calls. We are all aware of how dangerous this thing (Covid-19) is.
‘But it is embarrassing, there’s no doubt about that.
‘The officials in question travelled to Greece to help in a league match when we are advising people not to travel. Is that advisable?
‘Probably in hindsight, they will wish they had not accepted that particular gig. But, hopefully, the official is okay and the Hamilton and Hibs players and staff are not affected by it.
‘But I don’t hold the officials it’s happened to responsible.
‘There’s been a breakdown in communications but they (the SFA) have held their hands up, they’ve admitted it and not tried to brush it under the carpet.
‘It was an honest mistake. Hopefully, the First Minister will think that the SFA has made an honest mistake as well.’
Last month, St Mirren and Kilmarnock won separate appeals which meant they did not have to forfeit matches as a punishment by the SPFL for Covid breaches.
An SFA judicial panel overturned walkover wins which were awarded to
Hamilton and Motherwell over the Paisley side, with the latter match against the Steelmen now taking place tomorrow night. Goodwin (left) believes the SFA’s Covid gaffe is further proof that St Mirren and Killie should have been treated more compassionately by the authorities. Asked if everyone is walking a tightrope, he said: ‘Well of course. That’s why we were so glad that common sense was shown in our own situation for us and Kilmarnock. ‘It could have been anybody that found themselves with the problems we found ourselves in back in September or October. It was a time to support each other and not ridicule each other.
‘This (SFA error) is a genuine mistake.
‘There’s a difference between players having a party, as has happened recently, or back in the beginning when certain individuals were in the pub or jumping on a plane.
‘Each individual case should be dealt with in isolation.’
Madden and his team of assistants were asked to officiate the notoriously volatile derby between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos by former English Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, who heads up the referee department for the Greek FA.