I was not at yesterday's game so cannot comment on the performance of the match officials. I did pose a challenge after I witnessed the last shocking display by a referee (away at Dundee United) as to why the SFA/SPL persists in appointing referees who have the potential conflict of interest of officating a game in which their home town team is playing. At Tannadice a quick post-match Google revealed that the referee had been born in Dundee. Yesterday's referee, Crawford Allan, is from Edinburgh!
I do not know Crawford Allan. I'm sure that he is a man of the utmost integrity (he works for RBS after all ). My issue is not with him it is with the SFA.
The SPL rules simply state that "The Referee, Assistant Referees and reserve official for League Matches shall be appointed by the SFA from the Lists of Class 1 Match Officials". The SFA web site says nothing about how match officials are actually appointed.
In England the FA rules require that the referee's registration is held by their local Parent Association ("A Referee must be registered with The Association through the Affiliated Association withinthe area in which the Referee resides, which will be deemed that referee's ParentAssociation (or County)"). There does not appear to be anything in the English Premier League or FA rules to prevent a Class 1 official being appointed to officiate a Premier League game in his/her Parent Association area. That said I doubt that you'd often see Howard Webb officiating at a game in Rotherham (when he's from) or in South Yorkshire in general (where he's registered).
The FA rules do however place a conflict of interest obligation on the referee "A Referee shall at all times act impartially. Where a Referee believes that there is a materialinterest conflicting with the duties and obligations of a Match Official and any appointment,then the Referee shall decline to act or officiate and declare it to the appointing authority". I'm fairly sure that being a supporter of or being from the same town as a club has significant conflict of interest potential. Surely we should be applying a similar conflict of interest test for SPL games?
Our referees have a tough job to do. It is frequently made all the harder to do when fans, players, coaches & managers, club directors and QCs ratchet up the pressure. The SFA (or SPL) should do them a favour and remove the suggestion of impartiality by eliminating this obvious conflict of interest.