Old Firm referee receives threatening phone calls
Willie Collum, the referee who was in charge of the Old Firm clash on Sunday, 24 October, has received several threatening phone calls.
The 31-year-old was the target of abuse after he awarded a contentious penalty when Rangers full-back Kirk Broadfoot fell after making the slightest of contact with the leg of Celtic’s Daniel Majstorovic. Scottish Premier League champions Rangers went on
to win the game 3-1.
As a result, Collum has received phone calls which have threatened him and his family. One of the callers said, "I'm coming to get you and your family."
Collum, who was taking charge of the fixture for the first time, was offered protection from the police, but refused as he did not want to make the situation any worse than it already was.
Linesman quits
The threat to Collum comes on the back of a situation in the match between Dundee United and Celtic on 17 October, which saw a penalty awarded to Celtic being overturned. Steven Craven, the linesman who was pivotal in helping the match referee reverse his
decision to give the spot-kick, has since resigned as a professional official due to the criticism he received.
The problem is a prevalent one within Scottish football, with officials at the Scottish Football Association claiming that other refers have considered quitting the sport due to the flak from fans, the media and clubs for their decisions.
Former FIFA-class referee Kenny Clark has said that the officials must be treated with more respect in order to avoid people being put off the idea of becoming referees.
"We're perhaps heading for a crisis unless people start to recognise that we must ease the pressures being put upon referees.
"If referees and assistants at the top level choose to resign then it diminishes the pool of officials able to handle matches in the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League. That impacts on referee recruitment, and young guys are going to be
less inclined to take up refereeing if they see this kind of abuse directed at those at the top of the tree."
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