SFA must act to end dispute

DURING a week of much political upheaval, the players who will represent Scotland at Euro 2017 decided to make their own statement. Or more to the point they didn’t, but their self-imposed media silence now piles pressure on the Scottish FA to resolve matters quickly.

The players downed tools on Thursday with regard to their media duties. They did not make themselves available for interviews or photographs to publicise the friendly against Romania, nor after the 2-0 win at the Falkirk Stadium.

The squad fly out to Sweden today for Tuesday’s friendly in Vaxjo with the media blackout still in place. Embarrassingly for the SFA, the industrial action extends to the association’s own platforms.

What are the issues which have prompted action by the players, who are being advised by PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart? They have yet to reveal the details, but some are financial and strike a chord with concerns raised by the Republic of Ireland players in April. That dispute was resolved quickly when the Football Association of Ireland realised they were facing a PR disaster.

Discussions with the SFA started at the end of last year. With no progress having been made on some of the substantive points, and the Euros fast approaching, the players decided to take matters into their own hands.

The 23-player squad for the Euros will be named, to considerable fanfare, a week on Tuesday, and it would be a huge blow to the SFA if the players were still refusing to give interviews. In the circumstances, a speedy resolution is in the best interests of all parties. CONGRATULATIONS to Jane Ross, who scored her 50th Scotland goal against Romania. Few players have worked harder on their game and she deserves all her success.