The future of the Scottish Premier League (SPL) is in doubt after the departure of foreign referees. Matches in the SPL are facing postponement after withdrawals of the Country’s Category A referees from the league. Some of the
referees voted in the favor of a strike over the increasing threats to their safety. Their performance and integrity was also severely criticized. Referees were continuously claiming their security was compromised and were receiving threats on the pitch and
off the field from football fans.
It is said that the decision was unanimously taken by 31 of 33 Category A officials while the two remaining votes were not cast due to absences. The verdict was to boycott the Saturday and Sunday matches and this was also confirmed
by the 10 Category B officials. In 2008, the SPL referees threatened to strike over salary issues, taking back the decision after the authorities assured them of a revised pay scale.
Referee Dougie McDonald overturned a penalty awarded to Celtic which turned the match in Dundee United’s favour with a 2-1 victory played at Tannadice on the 17th
of October. Later the referee admitted that he lied about this decision to his supervisors as well as Celtic’s Manager, Neil Lennon. At the Celtic’s annual general meeting held on the 18th of November, Chairman John Reid protested against McDonald
and urged authorities to sack him or the referee resign voluntarily. Celtic also wrote a letter to the Scottish Football Association (SFA) to conduct an investigation against the penalty awarded to the Rangers. Striker Lennon also criticized referee Craig
Thomson against the decision taken that sent him off the field. SFA Chief Executive Stewart Regan also initiated an investigation against the head of Referee Development, Hugh Dallas. BBC found an email containing an offensive image forwarded from the referee’s
email account regarding the Pope’s visit to Scotland.
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