Levein sticks to his guns after McCurry admits Ibrox errors

Colin Leslie
AN unrepentant Craig Levein last night continued his attack on Mike McCurry – despite the referee admitting he got two crucial decisions wrong in Dundee United's 3-1 defeat at Ibrox on Saturday, and the Scottish Football Association mounting a staunch defence of its beleaguered official.
United have formally complained to SFA chief executive Gordon Smith after McCurry turned down a strong penalty claim when Rangers defender David Weir clashed with Noel Hunt, while a goal from Danny Swanson was incorrectly disallowed for offside, with team-mate David Robertson deemed to have been interfering with play.

After the game Levein launched a scathing attack on McCurry claiming he "bottled" both decisions and asked: "If we don't get the decisions – blatant, important decisions – then what is the point of turning up?"

McCurry yesterday admitted on the Whisteblower section of the SFA's website he had got both crucial decisions wrong, claiming he was unsighted at the penalty incident and had been wrongly advised by his assistant for Swanson's 'goal.'

And responding to United's complaint, Smith – who has already had a high-profile spat with Levein this season, when he claimed to have received letters from SPL clubs suggesting they were victims of refeering bias – released a statement backing McCurry.

"Everyone at the Scottish FA is hugely disappointed at the accusations that have been levelled at one of our match officials following the match at Ibrox on Saturday," said the chief executive. "To impinge on a man's integrity in this way is extremely unfair and does nothing to encourage more people to take up refereeing.

"To suggest that there was any kind of agenda behind the decisions made on the day does a massive disservice to the game and, quite frankly, is completely unfair. I think that it is extremely sad that an honest, dedicated professional has been treated in this way."

McCurry, for his part, was big enough to admit he had be in the wrong at Ibrox. On the Whistleblower webpage, he admitted: "I was caught out of position and my line of sight was partially obstructed by another player. I saw Noel Hunt fall to the ground with David Weir in close proximity behind him. As my vantage point was extremely poor it was not possible for me to say what or, if any, infringement had occurred.

"I have now had the benefit of seeing the incident again on television. I would have awarded Dundee United a penalty and would have cautioned the Rangers player David Weir."

Addressing the disallowed goal, McCurry added: "I consider it would have been more appropriate to conclude that the player, David Robertson, was not involved in active play and would have allowed the goal to stand."

However, Levein – who saw his team's hopes of a Uefa Cup place disappear at Ibrox – insisted the referee's admission of guilt changes nothing.

"I expected Mike McCurry to say that and I expect the SFA will now try and brush it under the carpet," he said. "But it's too late for explanations. We have lost the points and the opportunity to qualify for Europe.

"I expected Gordon Smith to back his referees. It's the most annoyed I've ever been. These are not innocuous things like corners or throw-ins, these are goals and penalties and it has happened for years.

"You can ask any other team if they get the breaks in crucial matches in Glasgow and the answer will be no. All I can do is complain through the media but Gordon Smith will stick his head in the sand."

Levein can now expect to be heavily fined and censured by the SFA, but United are standing firmly behind their manager. Director Derek Robertson issued a statement, saying: "It is widely thought that there is a bias shown against 'provincial' clubs when visiting Glasgow, with Saturday's game a prime example of this.

"This is damaging to the game as a whole and Dundee United believes that this situation should not be allowed to continue without careful examination and constructive proposals and dialogue between the clubs and the authorities.

"For the record, the club will be backing the manager on all the important issues raised by him and hope that his honestly-held views can be used as a catalyst for constructive change."

Taken from the Scotsman