Sport nationScottish Football Association (SFA) chief executive Ian Maxwell has defended the quality of referees in Scotland, describing criticism of their performance as “unfair.” Maxwell’s comments come after a contentious week for match officials, including a highly debated penalty decision in the Premier Sports Cup Final between Celtic and Rangers.
Maxwell appeared on BBC Sportsound to address the controversy, where he was questioned by Tom English about the standard of refereeing in Scotland. English suggested that referees are making mistakes because they are not good enough, but Maxwell disagreed, stating that referees are human and will inevitably make errors.
Maxwell compared the pressure on referees to the pressure of taking a penalty kick, suggesting that it is impossible to replicate the intensity of a live match situation in training. He also emphasized that the SFA is working to improve the consistency of refereeing, with Head of Refereeing Willie Collum spending time with top officials to analyze decisions and improve performance.
The SFA chief executive acknowledged that mistakes will happen, but emphasized the need to eliminate the most egregious errors. He stated that the SFA is focused on achieving consistency in refereeing, and that this is an ongoing process.
Maxwell’s comments come after a week of intense scrutiny for match officials in Scotland. The controversy surrounding the Premier Sports Cup Final has sparked a wider debate about the standard of refereeing in the country, with some calling for improvements to be made.
In related news, Maxwell also discussed the use of VAR in Scottish football, stating that the technology is still in its infancy and that there are ongoing discussions about how to improve its implementation.
Sport nation
Amina Umar