Polish referees pull out of officiating Scottish games
The already-decimated Scottish football fixture list for the weekend of 27-28 November has taken a further blow after it was revealed that the Polish Football Association ordered back its three sets of match officials.
The referees were drafted in by the Scottish Football Association in a bid to ensure that as many games as possible went ahead after the country's category-one whistlers voted to withdraw labour in a protest over criticism levied at them by clubs, managers
and players.
The Scottish officials claim that their integrity has been questioned on numerous occasions and feel they have to resort to drastic action to have their message heard.
Despite the strike and the withdrawal of the Polish referees — who are needed to officiate games in their homeland, it has been claimed — the Scottish Football Association has confirmed that all six of the scheduled Scottish Premier League games would go
ahead as planned. It is also confident that the Alba Challenge Cup final between Queen of the South and Ross County will go ahead, as well as one of the scheduled Scottish Cup replays.
It had initially been hoped that cover would be available for the First Division clash between Morton and Falkirk — which was the game selected to go ahead after the SFA drew lots — but the withdrawal of the Polish officials meant that the game has had to
be postponed.
The withdrawals also mean that the Scottish Cup replay between Annan Athletic and Brechin and Threave Rovers' clash with Stenhousemuir have also been cancelled.
The Polish FA's decision comes after the SFA contacted associations throughout Europe to try to have as many games as possible played. However, referees from Holland, Iceland, Norway, Ireland, Wales, Estonia and Sweden were unwilling to help in a show of
support for their Scottish colleagues.
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