ANY IMPORT IN A STORM
NINE years ago this weekend Scottish football was plunged into chaos when referees voted to strike for the first time in the history of our game. After a perceived increase in unacceptable comments towards officials, questioning their integrity and a feeling SFA chiefs weren’t doing enough to back their employees, officials took the decision to withdraw their labour for a weekend. It was unprecedented, saw foreign refs flown in to take charge of games and came a month after what became known as ‘Dougie-gate’. Ex-Grade One ref McDonald was found to have lied to his supervisor and Celtic boss
BY FRASER WILSON
Neil Lennon over his decision to reverse a penalty given to the Hoops in a game at Tannadice.
Having claimed he consulted with his assistant Steven Craven over the decision, it later transpired he made the call before consulting his linesman.
An SFA warning was issued to McDonald but less than a month later the decision was taken and backed by the majority of Scotland’s referees to withdraw labour for a weekend.
Charlie Richmond was one of the group of whistlers that went on strike.
But the former Grade One official admits, nine years on, that he always had reservations over the course of action.
Richmond missed the meeting where the vote was taken for family reasons.
But he reckons the strike has had little or no impact in the long run – with comments towards officials from the sidelines and in the media no better now than they were back in 2010.
He said: “Nine years later have the referees benefited from it?
“Probably not because there are still managers talking about standards of refereeing.
“Back then they were talking about integrity but we have had instances in the last few months and years where other refs have been called out in incidents that have bordered on integrity and personal things.
“John Beaton springs to mind. At the time was that any worse or better than when Dougie