Aberdeen

Officials under threat

George Santayana observed that “those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it” and for many who remember the events of 2010 this observation appears accurate. We find ourselves again in a situation where the officials are fielding criticism from fans (perhaps not unusual), managers (more concerning) and the media (perhaps most worrying).

As eight years ago, there are now significant concerns for the safety of officials with violent incidents already having taken place. No official will ever be infallible, but modern technology and sports channels mean mistakes are highlighted, dissected and criticised to the nth degree. It took a strike to solve the problem previously and I’m hoping that lessons learned mean that a strike won’t be needed this time.

Steve Wilson