Celtic make peace with SFA

John Reid
By FOS Editor
November 5 2010

Celtic have issued a statement this afternoon which looks to draw a line under recent refereeing issues - but how long will it last??

 

Celtic have now made steps to draw a line under the recent referee scandal by issuing a statement on their website with Chairman John Reid saying, "We are encouraged by the proposals of the new chief executive, Stewart Regan, to address a series of issues within the SFA and to allow greater transparency and openness in all future decision-making.

"While we would have liked a review to be more independent in nature, Stewart Regan's objectives are to be applauded."

He did continue to state that they were well within their rights by contacting the SFA following the penalty incident at Tannadice three weeks ago, "Following events at Tannadice, it was Celtic's absolute right to request clarification on a matter of this nature. Indeed, it is widely accepted that this was an incident which deserved some explanation.

"It was also correct that the Scottish Football Association conduct an investigation into events following the resignation of an assistant referee.

"Clearly, as a result of this investigation it is very unfortunate that dishonesty has been proven. This, of course, is a matter for the SFA to deal with.

"We fully understand that there is intense pressure on referees in a high-profile environment. We know too that they carry out a very difficult job.

"We now look forward to the review process being carried out and to the implementation of the appropriate recommendations."

It will be interesting to see how long this lasts, if Celtic lose to Aberdeen tomorrow and there is a controversial decision made by the ref there is no doubt it will be all over the press again!