WERE OFFICIALS CORRECT TO GIVE GERS THAT SPOT KICK?

Mar 4 2005

YES SAYS REFS CHIEF DON McVICAR

By Hugh Keevins

THE man in charge of referees at the SFA last night red-carded all conspiracy theories by denying Rangers' late penalty at Hearts is part of a plot to sabotage Celtic's title defence.

Donald McVicar has gone through the moment at Tynecastle when Lee Miller collided with Rangers' Greek defender Sotirios Kygriakos at all speeds from real time to super-slow motion.

He's dissected it on a laptop and on a TV screen and can't bring himself to join the witch-hunt against Hugh Dallas and his assistant Andy Davis.

He said: 'This is not an SFA plan to protect one of our officials.The assistant referee had an unobstructed view of the incident and will be convinced that the advice he offered Hugh was the correct information.

'It is wrong to say that the penalty decision was wrong. The television pictures in real time are inconclusive but the evidence of super slow motion strengthens the assistant referee's case for saying the award should be given.

'There is a definite arm used and Miller, the player involved, makes no attempt to protest when the penalty is awarded after consultation between the match officials.

'The referee is the final arbiter in the eyes of the SFA, UEFA and FIFA and he could have over-ruled his assistant if he had felt strongly about it. But Hugh took his fellow official's word for it that an offence had taken place.'

McVicar put paranoia in its place by denying he was even aware of a groundswell of opinion among the Celtic supporters that their team has been the victim of decades of dodgy decisions made by referees who were shielded by the governing body.

He said: 'I must live in a different world from everybody else because I wasn't even remotely aware of one club feeling they were more put upon than anybody else.

'I believe that all referees and their assistants make their decisions in good faith.

'I have been involved in refereeing for 35 years and have never had the slightest inkling of any match official acting out of bias in favour of one club or against another.'

That's not how it looks to Celtic fans who are calling for an official inquiry into the injury-time penalty that denied Hearts a draw - - and cost Martin O'Neill's side two potentially crucial points in the championship.

And not how it seems to the Celtic manager either after his remark about Celtic having to be 'miles better' than Rangers to be certain of winning the title.

Now it has emerged the man at the centre of this latest controversy is the same official who disallowed a Mark Viduka 'goal' against Rangers in a crucial league game five years ago.

And it was Davis who flagged for a penalty against Dundee at Dens Park when Alex McLeish's side won the title in 2003.

But McVicar won't listen to stories alleging there might be an anti-Celtic bias at work.

He said: 'You have to remember I was that soldier at one time. I have refereed at the top level and I know that whatever club allegiances a match official might have had when he was younger have no influence on the way he handles matches.

'It is simply not an issue at all to my way of thinking.

'Once he steps over that white line a referee or his assistants will forget all about club loyalties. The job is hard enough without stuff like that getting in the way.

'Match officials have got no time to weigh up the implications of the decisions they make. They simply make them and hope sincerely that they work out their way.

'That is what Andy did in Edinburgh and there will be no change to the schedule of matches we have pencilled in for him over the next five or six weeks.

'He'll be at Stirling Albion against Forfar this weekend as scheduled - and why not?'

McVicar will not agree there is any need for vetting referees. He said: 'There is a procedure that is gone through at local level. And if we feel it is apparent a candidate is unsuitable for refereeing we let them know at an early stage.'

The match officials at Tynecastle left the pitch under a hail of coins and other missiles which will all be mentioned in the referee's report to the SFA.

It is understood that Dallas will also term the clash between Hearts' Saulius Mikoliunas and Davis as a case of assault.

McVicar fears the indisciplined actions of the Lithuanian after the penalty award will spark a nationwide trend of copycat attacks on referees and their assistants.

He said: 'It could introduce anarchy to the game. I can imagine public parks all over the country being full of players who want to make that kind of gesture towards match officals because they've seen this one highlighted on television.

'You can disagree with any decision made but you can't conduct yourself in that aggressive manner. It showed no respect to the match officials and does nothing for the game as a whole 'There was verbal abuse and physical contact and we can do without that developing into a trend.'

But it'll be easier to do that than convince Celtic and Hearts fans that PC Andy Davis isn't the wrong arm of the law.

Taken from the Daily Record