Milne calls for SFA summit to address a ‘genuine concern for state of game’
Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne has called for a summit to discuss the Scottish Football Association’s disciplinary procedures.
The Dons have been left angry and frustrated at several decisions this season, notably failed red card appeals for defensive pair Michael Devlin and Scott Mckenna.
Devlin was recently banned for a harsh-looking red card he received for a last-man tackle against Kilmarnock, while Mckenna is currently serving a two-game suspension for a challenge on Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard that manager Derek Mcinnes insisted was merely a clearance.
There has been further confusion over guidelines surrounding violent conduct after a number of incidents, including Rangers overturning a red card for Alfredo Morelos after he kicked Mckenna off the ball in the opening league match of the season.
Ibrox goalkeeper Allan Mcgregor, meanwhile, twice escaped any action after appearing to strike out at Motherwell midfielder Peter Hartley and Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer.
And the Dons have called on Scottish Professional Football League chief executive Neil Doncaster to seek talks with the SFA so that clubs, players and supporters can gain a better understanding of the “process and decision-making procedures employed by the governing body”.
Speaking to the official Aberdeen website in a story headlined
0 Stewart Milne: Fans need clarity
“Dons chairman calls for summit”, Milne explained: “I very much feel there is genuine concern for the state of the game in Scotland at the moment.
“We simply must have consistency and transparency or we all, as clubs, the SFA and the SPFL lose significant credibility and risk losing the fans who have been baffled by several of the outcomes arrived at recently.
“Without supporters there is no game and they, as we all do, deserve far more clarity and transparency than we have at present.
“There are so many positives in our game right now, from a great crop of top-class managers, to a very competitive Ladbrokes Premiership and two cracking Betfred Cup semifinals to look forward to, yet conversations and news headlines seem to be dominated by the several controversial decisions that have been arrived at, and we’re only just into October, without having a clear understanding of the process and the reasons these were arrived at.
“It’s imperative that we get everyone with a vested interest together, sooner rather than later, in order that future decisions can be clearly explained to the fans who must always be the main consideration.”
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland confirmed yesterday that Aberdeen winger Niall Mcginn has withdrawn from the squad for for forthcoming Uefa Nations League matches in Austria and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Mcginn missed Saturday’s 4-1 thumping of St Mirren because of a hip injury and is already a doubt for the Dons’ trip to Tynecastle after the international break.