Exclusive: Willie Collum to respond after St Mirren hit out at referees
St Mirren will likely be told by the Scottish FA following that their public statement about refereeing decisions should go through proper channels, Keith Hackett has said.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that it is a shame the Scottish Premiership side have chosen to go public with their frustrations.
It has been a mixed campaign for Stephen Robinson’s side this season, as they sit eighth in the top-flight, just one point off the top six, but only four clear of the relegation play-off spot.
St Mirren though feel they have not been helped this season by decisions from referee’s and VAR, prompting them to make it clear they have taken up their issues with the Scottish FA.
St Mirren questioned over Scottish FA message
There have been times this season where certain decisions have been viewed to have gone in favour of the Buddies.
However, those of a St Mirren persuasion were left disappointed by the officials in their 1-0 defeat at home to bottom side St Johnstone on Saturday (1 February).
After the hosts were denied a penalty when Drey Wright tripped Elvis Bwomono in the box, they then had a goal of their own disallowed for a foul.
Having missed out on both those opportunities, a 71st minute goal from Bozo Mikulic then condemned Robinson’s side to defeat.
After the game, St Mirren published a statement on social media revealing they had spoken to the refereeing department of the Scottish FA to ask for clarification on those decisions in the match.
They also went on to explain that they believe an accumulation of refereeing errors have been made against the club this season, insisting they will maintain contact in a bid to improve officiating standards.
When asked how he thinks the Scottish FA will respond to that contact and such a statement, Hackett told Football Insider:
“I think the first thing is that there a lines and communication channels with which St Mirren could pick the phone up and speak to the referee’s chief, Willie Collum.
“He’s a good communicator, they could ask for a meeting, why have they gone public? Why are they actually criticising match officials in the public domain rather than actually going through the channels that are open to them?
“So I suspect the Scottish FA and Willie Collum will look and listen to what they have to say, but I think they’ll also receive a letter saying ‘pick the phone up, you can speak to us rather than put it in the public domain’.”
It has been an eventful season for the Scottish FA, who have had to deal with scrutiny over a number of contentious issues in recent months.
St Mirren meanwhile, are back in action when they host Hearts in the last 16 of the Scottish Cup next Monday (10 February).
In other news, St Johnstone have agreed a deal to sign a Charlton Athletic player on loan.
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