We know EVERY decision will be scrutinised to a level we haven’t seen for a long time
SCOTLAND’S referees are bracing themselves for what they admit will be the most high-pressure and hotly contested season in a generation.
With Celtic gunning for ten in a row, and Rangers hell-bent on stopping their Old Firm rivals, one of the nation’s top officials admits the stakes have never been higher.
As the new Premiership campaign gets set to kick-off on Saturday, Kevin Clancy insists he and his colleagues are acutely aware that every decision will be put under the microscope like never before.
Clancy knows what it feels like to come under intense scrutiny after Rangers assistant coach Michael Beale controversially accused him of ‘cheating’ during a fractious and fiery Old Firm game last season.
Beale later retracted those comments, but Clancy is nonetheless steeling himself ahead of what promises to be a season unlike any other.
‘I can absolutely guarantee you that every referee officiating in the Premiership knows exactly what’s at stake this season,’ he said. ‘We are under no illusions about the fact that every decision, probably in almost every game, will be scrutinised to a level that we haven’t seen for a long, long period of time.
‘The guys have been training hard and they’re ready for the new season. We certainly know what’s at stake for the whole of the division.
‘When you’re involved in the big games, you know it means a lot to the players and you know it means a lot to the fans.
‘A lot of guys probably do thrive off that pressure. You know you have to up your game because you know a lot’s riding on it.
‘From a refereeing perspective, playing behind closed doors, there shouldn’t be too much different in the sense that we’re still applying the laws of the game in exactly the same way.
‘But what referees and players are going to find is that with the intensity that surrounds a match with the crowd noise and atmosphere, I suppose it runs the risk of having the feel of a friendly fixture — but teams are playing for points.
‘In terms of not having crowds, you’d like to hope it won’t change the decision-making. In a big game with the crowd noise, you obviously know you’re under pressure.
‘It certainly keeps your concentration and your focus up. I suppose it might be a challenge for referees in empty stadiums. ‘Just because not very much
seems to be happening in terms of noise, we can’t get lulled into a false sense of security. The concentration needs to remain at the top level.
‘But we’re all human. It would be wrong of me to say that crowd noise isn’t an important aspect of football matches. ‘Not having a crowd probably
should make it easier (in theory). You won’t feel like every decision is constantly being booed or criticised.
‘But it’ll be important for myself and the rest of the referees that we are still bringing the same levels of performance despite there not being a crowd.’
Despite the spat with Beale, Clancy believes positive steps have been taken in the relationship between Scottish referees and coaching staff across the country.
Neil Lennon branded the standard of officiating in Scotland ‘amateur’ and ‘Mickey Mouse’ after a furious touchline bust-up with Clancy while in charge of Hibs in 2018.
It was a series of incidents like that which prompted the SFA to host a summit between referees and managers in Perth in January 2019 — and Clancy feels that was a positive juncture.
‘I feel as though I’ve got a good working relationship with the managers in the Premiership,’ said Clancy, who has a wealth of experience at both international and European level. ‘We have seen less of the issues which led to the summit 18 months ago.
‘You’ll always have the odd incident and things might get said in the heat of the moment which, on reflection, people maybe wish they hadn’t said.
‘The Compliance Officer probably knows better than me what sort of incidents they’re dealing with. But managers being sent off for those sort of incidents seem to be more of a minority now.
‘That (Beale) story kind of died a little bit in the week afterwards when Michael realised he maybe shouldn’t have said what he said.
‘You’d have to ask the fourth official what he actually said at the time.
‘I felt a bit sorry for Nick Walsh because it was my decisions that were resulting in him having a miserable end to the match.’
Prior to the Covid pandemic, Scottish football authorities were quietly confident of being in a position to introduce VAR to top-flight stadia across the country within the next year.
The start of season 2021-22 had been pencilled in, after a trial period which would have seen Hampden use the technology as part of its hosting of Euro 2020 this summer.
The financial implications around the pandemic, however, have been a major setback. Despite being an advocate of the system used in UEFA competitions and the English Premier League, Clancy fears it is still some time away for the SPFL.
He added: ‘It’s fair to say it’s disappointing that there will now be inevitable delays (with VAR) due to Covid and the economic situation around that.
‘I’m the chair of the Scottish Senior Football Referees Association (SSFRA) and I’ve said before that I believe Scottish football would benefit from VAR.
‘Scottish refereeing would benefit from VAR. I can say with certainty that all of my colleagues at the top level would fully support the introduction and implementation of VAR in Scottish football.’