Calls for foreign referees are not new in the Scottish game, but refs have successfully resisted the idea. It is in their economic interests to have only Scottish referees take charge of Scottish games, and, most of all, they want control of the country’s biggest games. The argument has been that if a referee works his way through the system for years, he should not be denied the opportunity to take control of the biggest games in the land.
The SFA have been sympathetic to this argument for decades but are now confronted by the country’s major clubs telling them standards are not good enough to support the game at the level it is being played at in Scotland. A window of unanimity opened when the rent-a-statements across the city were twice hit by extended bans in a week, making it difficult for them to avoid the follow on question, “If things are not good enough, why not ask for change?”
Behind this issue lies a longstanding desire for Scottish Premiership clubs to see the SFA focus more on administering youth and amateur football, and the international team, leaving the professional game to the SPFL, where appropriate performance standards across a range of issues can be set.
Those who want a fair and open game have nothing to fear from foreign referees. Arguments against this proposal amount to little more than an expression of self-interest. I suggest we move quickly before some realise that decades old affinities are at risk.
I see Newco are reinforcing their 8 point deficit bunker with volleys at the BBC. It is comforting to preach to the choir but it is also pointless. The BBC is a broadcasting mammoth. It employs over 20,000 staff and churns out an enormous volume of material. Its power bases are geographically, culturally, politically and ethnically diverse. Try conspiring in an organisation with 20 people and you’ll see why.
It will get things wrong. It will employ people whose views you do not like and its protocols will infuriate you – after all, they must search for hours trying to find some loon to ‘balance’ all the sense coming from a prevailing opinion (a personal gripe). But in the history of broadcasting and media, no organisation has been subject to as vigorous and accessible oversight. It is not intellectually honest to suggest otherwise.
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Still funny though.
https://twitter.com/Colm_cfc/status/1098206947323592704
D17
No, it’s still there sadly, they have orange walks from it every year.
Billybhoy…………..285 million of debt to be exact ranked the 4th most indebted in Europe. Irish passports but not British to get your hands on a measily ticket that’s really bizarre. Hope your lad gets to see the game despite this nonsense.
My son and his mate have just got hold of a ticket for the game! He paid a taxi driver to go to the stadium for him.
The guy had 4 passports on him at the time – which was handy!
TET- That idea was put forward a couple of years ago, too many stupid internationals these days,probably got in the road….
Thanks, Robinbhoy. I’m getting a bit old for these acronyms,
When is brother Collum going to get a sevco game again HH
Celtic have stepped in to help a youth football team after mindless yobs ruined their grass pitch.
Shocked parents discovered that Torrance FC’s home park had been churned up by tyre tracks at the weekend leaving the playing surface unplayable and in need of expensive repair.
The pitch is located near Celtic’s Lennoxtown training complex in Dunbartonshire and the club decided to help out after hearing how the vandals had left around 60 local youngsters devestated.
Celtic have now agreed to help sort the pitch alongside turf care contractors Allgrass Scotland.
Torrance FC coach David Gibson, who discovered the damaged park on Sunday morning, told CelticFC.net: “When we went down there my heart just sank. Why would anyone do that, it’s mindless vandalism.
“They don’t care what effect it’s going to have on us or the boys.
Bada
I never knew that, but you are prob right.
HANKRAY on 20TH FEBRUARY 2019 4:38 PM
So it’s on to the Mestalla on Thursday night – Mestalla the name conjurs up for me visions of an Apache reservation in a John Wayne classic western and with thousands of Celtic supporters bringing business to the city of Valencia who are in the bizarre situation of being unable to get tickets for a game that is not a sellout. Just what are the Spanish on about.
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Gibraltar ?
Macjay 1 for NL……….Could that be the reason? interesting
Pay at the gate at Poundland ??
HANKRAY on 20TH FEBRUARY 2019 6:05 PM
Macjay 1 for NL……….Could that be the reason? interesting
===============================================================
Irish passport……EC…………Ticket.
British passport………Brexit………..No ticket .
…..and on Shortbread tonight, Neil Ratface McCann, and Wiggy Duffield Smith…….
There are two issues with refs in Scotland that annoy me. One is their manifest bias rooted in their upbringing and aspirations; the other is the way in which the game is interpreted and rules are applied.
Perhaps oddly, though it turns my stomach, I can live with the first. Cheating refs are a fact of life in Scotland due to anti Catholicism and anti Irish racism and grandiose notions of supremecy. That is not going to change much more any time soon. The second though is a bit of a disaster for the game here at international and European level. Because the rules are interpreted by refs in an ‘old fashioned’ way our players are schooled to endlessly give away fouls in Europe that would never be called here and then are booked or ordered off. As a result our teams are often frustrated by minnows from truly minnow leagues. The least fouly team in Scotland is us, and not surprisingly we are able to beat a few teams in Europe now and again. The rest are not. Even that mob couldn’t get through the easiest group ever seen in the Europa League. They kick and thump week after week and refs wave play on. This is poor schooling for our players and leaves us and all Scottish clubs at a disadvantage in Europe. I’m not saying this is the only reason for such a poor show in Europe by Scottish clubs but it is a factor that could be altered in a few weeks.
It won’t be changed, of course, because who would benefit from reffing as the game is reffed in the rest of the world? Those who play the most football. In other words: Us.
As regards getting tickets for Valencia, a few years ago v Barcelona they had the same policy of only selling to locals and visitors with non-British passports. The only thing you can do is hang about the ticket office and try and persuade some of the locals and visiting non-Brit tourists to purchase as many tickets as they are allowed. That turned out to be quite successful for us and we were about 8 in number. These games tend to attract a lot of interest from visiting tourists. You may get some success if you offer the locals a “booking fee”.” ?
Pay at the gate in the Penniless Arcade
Any sausages for Poundland – busy day today, and I need a laugh
HH
BGFC
BBC TV Scotland News full blown Rainjurz……………….. ” Gers haven’t lost to Kilmarnock since 1938 “
How disappointing it has nothing to do with Brexit or Gibraltar after all: ?
From the Valencia ticket website:
AWAY FANS TICKETS
We inform you that following Spanish Law (RD 203/2010) away fans tickets will be sold through the VISITING TEAM and in a separate sector from Valencia CF fans.
The V.C.F. Club reserves the right to deny the access to fans of the visiting team carrying tickets obtained by any other means and that are not located at the Away Fans Sector.
http://en.valenciacf.com/bd/archivos/archivo6202.pdf?nocache=0.342522
My son and his mates got sorted for tickets at Mestalla today. Paid some locals to buy them from Valencia ticket office. 40 Euro for section next to away section. Good luck bhoys.
BGFC,
Get yer roll and skwerr here:
https://www.vipleague.lc/football-sports-stream
BGFC,
Get yer roll and skwerr here, or to be more precise here:
https://www.vipleague.lc/1-rangers-vs-kilmarnock-live-streaming
I love Celtic more than you, so there
KINGLuBO
POR CIERTO on 20TH FEBRUARY 2019 4:45 PM
JAMESGANG on 20TH FEBRUARY 2019 1:42 PM
“The bbc in Scotland is as unbiased as a Lanarkshire ref.”
Magic! :)) The best comment of 2019 so far por cierto.
——//
Wow – thank you. I’m honoured.
HH jg
If we bring in refs from outside Scotland and they are duff ,then I am confident they will be duff for all teams across the board .
I can live with that
BRING IT ON
HH
We could bring in refs from other countries that don’t have any kafflicks living in them. So that rules out just about every European country. We’ve got to keep them pesky huns happy and statement-free ?
POGMATHONYAHUN AKA LAIRD OF THE SMILES on 20TH FEBRUARY 2019 6:58 PM
How disappointing it has nothing to do with Brexit or Gibraltar after all: ?
From the Valencia ticket website:
AWAY FANS TICKETS
We inform you that following Spanish Law (RD 203/2010) away fans tickets will be sold through the VISITING TEAM and in a separate sector from Valencia CF fans.
The V.C.F. Club reserves the right to deny the access to fans of the visiting team carrying tickets obtained by any other means and that are not located at the Away Fans Sector.
http://en.valenciacf.com/bd/archivos/archivo6202.pdf?nocache=0.342522
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That would appear to be the theory.
And yet in practice , tickets are being sold to holders of Irish passports but not to the holders of British ones.
That`s the issue in contention .
The walk from my hotel into town takes me through wild orange groves as you can see linked…Because they aren’t attended anymore you can just pick the best ones. The rest fall to the ground and shrivel, get manky and trodded upon and end up burst and useless. I call them Dirty Wee orange bursteds??
https://enematic.wordpress.com/2019/02/20/dwobs/
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 20TH FEBRUARY 2019 6:53 PM
BBC TV Scotland News full blown Rainjurz……………….. ” Gers haven’t lost to Kilmarnock since 1938 “
Heard that one. ‘History is on their side’. Yes Kheredine , not to mention the SFA , the referees , the media…..etc , etc , etc.
I hope our fans are staying safe.
Two different videos on Twitterof Spanish Police hitting Celtic fans in legs with batons.
Celtic fans don’t appear to be doing anything, one is at an outdoor cafe and one fans just walking down the street.
The police appear to want them to move on.
Hail Hail
Are Valencia being racist with ticket selling policy ?
On what grounds can they discriminate against British passport holders while selling tickets to Irish passport holders ?
Do the Brits have previous ?
Oh wait ….. ;-))
POGMATHONYAHUN AKA LAIRD OF THE SMILES on 20TH FEBRUARY 2019 7:05 PM
BGFC,
Get yer roll and skwerr here, or to be more precise here:
https://www.vipleague.lc/1-rangers-vs-kilmarnock-live-streaming
=============================
Munchity – Crunchity yum yum
HH
BGFC
JobbyWheecherCSC
JIMMYNOTPAUL
After the Amsterdam battle i was suspicious that the situation arose out of dishonesty and disinformation supplied by the Scottish police.
Would not be surprised if this behavior by the Spanish police is because of the same.
Further lack of objectivity by the BBT ahead of the Sevco-Kilmarnock game, with former Kilmarnock player Gordon Smith and Neil McCann who hasn’t played for either club……
FAN-A-TIC on 20TH FEBRUARY 2019 7:36 PM
You could well be correct.
Last week Valencia announced they were treating this as a high risk game.
My immediate thought was, why?
Hail Hail
ANGELGABRIEL on 20TH FEBRUARY 2019 7:26 PM
Are Valencia being racist with ticket selling policy ?
On what grounds can they discriminate against British passport holders while selling tickets to Irish passport holders ?
Do the Brits have previous ?
Oh wait ….. ;-))
=================================================
Yes.
And perfectly understandable then for the Spanish police to behave thus.
————————————————————————————
JIMMYNOTPAUL on 20TH FEBRUARY 2019 7:23 PM
I hope our fans are staying safe.
Two different videos on Twitterof Spanish Police hitting Celtic fans in legs with batons.
Celtic fans don’t appear to be doing anything, one is at an outdoor cafe and one fans just walking down the street.
The police appear to want them to move on.
Hail Hail
https://twitter.com/Scotttobin92/status/1098291251416363008?s=08
Scum polis in Valencia