Hugh Dallas Appeals Sacking with Sfa, by Matthew Lindsay, Evening Times, December 8, 2010

Hugh Dallas Appeals Sacking with Sfa

By Matthew Lindsay
Evening Times
December 8, 2010

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks/hugh-dallas-appeals-sacking-with-sfa-1.1073240

Hugh Dallas

Hugh Dallas has lodged an official appeal against his sacking as the SFA head of referee development.

Former World Cup whistler Dallas and four other SFA employees were dismissed for forwarding an e-mail which linked the visit of the Pope to Scotland with the child abuse scandal within the Roman Catholic Church.

Under the governing body's disciplinary procedures, the five staff members had until yesterday to appeal against the sanction.

And Dallas is one of four of the group to have done so – and he will now have his case looked at once again by SFA president George Peat.

Meanwhile, SFA chief executive Stewart Regan has hit back at Paisley and Renfrewshire North MP Jim Sheridan.

Sheridan, a member of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in Westminster, called for an independent inquiry into the SFA's structure and allegations of bias and bigotry.

The MP said: "People I speak to within the game are fed up with every week bringing a new conspiracy theory and another referee being at fault. It has to be brought to an end.

"I want a fresh pair of eyes to have a close look at the whole structure and see how it operates and advise how it should be operating. If there is bias or bigotry within the organisation then let's get rid of it for the good of the game.

"Things really have to be clarified as it just cannot continue the way we are at the moment by accusing a referee of bias every time a team loses."

Regan responded: "I am surprised by the comments attributed in the media to Jim Sheridan, MP. Mr Sheridan spoke publicly before making any effort to contact me or ascertain details of the work currently ongoing to improve our game.

"Mr Sheridan's comments on alleged bias within the Scottish FA are divisive, grossly misguided and deeply unhelpful.

"He has called for an independent review, when it is widely known that the former First Minister, Henry McLeish, presented the first part of his completely independent review of Scottish football earlier this year, and that part two is due to be published imminently."