I have some friends who are referees. Some do it for fun and officiate Sunday league football and some see it as a career avenue where they want to reach the top of the job. These referees are officiating at Highland/Lowland league level and looking to move up in the SFA. So, because of this I have a good understanding of the rigorous review system that officials are under as they make their way up the ranks. So, my biggest question is always, what happens when they make it?
Today if match official David Dickinson was being observed he must surely have been looking at a failing grade.
Ignoring the VAR decision which I discussed at half time, the referee today had an absolute shocker, from pulling back advantages for Celtic to allowing Dundee United to boot our players all over the park. There were two instances where we had players down, one of which was Jota with a head injury in which he refused to stop play. It seemed like any advantage he could give to Dundee United he would.
The officials, including Nick Walsh in the VAR room, couldn’t do more to keep an inept United in the game and still it wasn’t enough. How long will it be until our board calls this out for what it is, flagrant cheating!