Scottish referees go on strike over disrespect

The Scottish Premier League [SPL] faces a shutdown this weekend after a decision by category one referees to strike in protest at the actions of some clubs, most notably Celtic.

The Scottish Football Association insists it will do everything to ensure the matches go ahead but with UEFA refusing to get involved, saying it a "domestic matter" to be sorted out by Scottish officials, the remains the possibility that the games will be postponed. "Fulfilling the weekend fixture calendar is our priority," said SFA chief executive Stewart Regan. "While we remain hopeful that the situation can be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, we have no option but to draw up contingency plans, which will involve sourcing match officials in other countries."

Though tension has been building for months between SPL clubs and referees, matters came to a head last month when Celtic visited Dundee United. A penalty awarded to Celtic was overturned by referee Dougie McDonald and after the match the official and Bhoys' boss Neil Lennon had a confrontation that ended with the official lying about why he hadn't given the penalty. That provoked a furious reaction from Celtic as well as earning McDonald criticism from the SFA, but he refused to step down despite calls for his resignation.

On Monday the Scottish Senior Football Referees' Association decided to strike in support not just of McDonald but of all their officials whom they believe are being treated with intolerable disrespect by clubs and their fans. Category Two referees have agreed not to stand in for their colleagues leaving Scottish football on the cusp of a crisis.

George Peat, president of the SFA, described the decision to strike as a "sad day for Scottish football", adding that they were in talks with the SPL to find a solution: "We will do everything we possibly can to broker a deal before the weekend because it's obviously important that officials are on duty."

And those sentiments were echoed by Regan, who reached out to the disgruntled officials: "I have every sympathy for the refereeing fraternity at this time. I cannot, however, condone what will amount to strike action and believe we must now engage in positive dialogue to avert the possibility that we will have no football this weekend. We have an obligation to the leagues, supporters, clubs, sponsors and media partners to do our utmost to ensure all senior games are refereed."

According to BBC Scotland, Celtic hope the strike will clear the air and lead to an inquiry into refereeing standards in the SPL, a standpoint that was believed to be at the heart of a statement by Peat on Monday in which he said: "The behaviour of some people in recent weeks has tarnished the image of Scottish football. It has demeaned the game. The climate of inference, innuendo and conspiracy theories must stop."

If the strike isn't called off, there are several options available to the SPL and SFA, including the hiring of Welsh and Irish Fifa-approved referees. Recruiting whistleblowers from the English league is also an option, though all those measures would incur a heavy expense at a time when money isn't rolling into the Scottish game. The other alternative is to postpone the games, something which wouldn't bother former SPL referee Kenny Clark. In an interview with BBC Scotland he said he hoped the strike would go ahead. "I would imagine they [the referees] want to make their mark, to make people appreciate that things have reached a crisis point. It is aimed at every club throughout the country. Celtic have been the catalyst, I suspect, for this latest crisis, but every club is implicated to some extent. Every club allows their fans to direct abuse at match officials and therefore they are all implicated." ·