Willie Collum’s refereeing operation at the SFA is teetering into crisis this weekend.
There are good reasons why FIFA avoided appointing anyone from Scotland among the 170 officials called up for the World Cup Finals.
As usual the reaction from the SFA is silence as social media calls out and questions the decision making of match officials.
Collum has attempted to give the impression of bringing accountability and transparency to Scottish football. The reality is that he is only interested in self promotion.
When the going gets tough Collum goes into hiding. He knows that his media chums won’t call him out, they need to stay in the news loop.
COLLUM GOES SILENT ON KEY ISSUES
There are two big breaks in the Refereeing news cycle tonight.
The SFA has still to announce the match officials for the Premiership fixtures on May 13. Games that take place in five days time.
One of the accountability tools is the Key Match Incident panel. An un-named group of former players, officials and pundits pour over the weekend fixtures and give their verdict on the big decisions.
Tonight the compliant KMI panel of the SFA admitted that three wrong decisions were made in the Hibs c Celtic match.
There is no justifying the four mistakes made by the on pitch officials. Or the two made by the VAR team.
Calling out David Dickinson and Don Robertson with three rounds of fixtures puts Collum on dangerous ground. Even when the KMI panel have claimed that Joe Newall’s goal was correctly awarded!
Collum is responsible for the continuing appointments of two of his refereeing buddies.
Dickinson and Robertson are ignored by UEFA and FIFA. Collum stands by them, keeps giving them the lucrative appointments and has watched standards crash this season.
VAR has only highlighted their inability to apply the Laws of the Game.
Now with a dramatic season coming to decision time Collum is left holding the baby.
There is no excusing Dickinson and his decisions at Easter Road. With his background he shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near matches involving the two major Glasgow teams.
The panel unanimously agreed that the on-field decision was incorrect. The panel highlighted VAR should have intervened to recommend an OFR and a penalty should have been awarded.
NO EXCUSES OR EXPLANATION FOR THE DECISIONS IN THE CELTIC V HIBS MATCH
Dickinson thought that the Kieran McGrath attack on Alistair Johnston was a yellow card. Robertson had to correct him.
Dickinson agreed with Douglas Ross flagging for offside when Daizen Maeda netted the opening goal. Robertson had to correct him.
The KMI panel viewed that the on-field decisions were wrong.
After that Robertson’s decision making took a downturn.
He had two minutes to review Joe Newell’s equaliser. The ball changed direction twice as it travelled down the midfielder’s arm.
No one at Hibs would have complained if the goal had been disallowed. Robertson allowed it to stand. Sky Sports were messaged that there was insufficient evidence.
The KMI panel have laughingly claimed that the correct decision was delivered.
Early in the second half Robertson compounded that decision when Josh Campbell used two hands to push Ben Nygren over in the penalty box.
This time the KMI panel got it right. Dickinson and Robertson got it wrong. In a key match with one team going for the title.
Fortunately for Collum there was no comment, reaction, statement or demand for action from Celtic.
The Head of Refereeing knows that two of his leading officials failed to do their job.
Collum has been unable to announce the match officials for the matches on May 13.
This crisis has been created in-house by the SFA.
Until they bin Collum, bring in a non Scot as Head of Refereeing things will only get worse.
With Dickinson, Robertson, John Beaton, Steven McLean and Andrew Dallas in the spotlight and creating the headlines.
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2 Comments
by Stevie Bhoy
I fear its going to get worse on Sunday if Beaton isn’t warned about his var interventions
by Stevie
The pesky 5 way agreement strikes again.
Bring back Fergus.