Celtic referee complaint not on

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Poor refereeing decisions do not equal a conspiracy

By Gary McDaniel

Conspiracy theories are a fascinating phenomenon whether it be about the death of JFK, the moon landings or 9/11.  In each of them it is suggested that those in power have pulled the wool over the eyes of the wider public. The official line is not accepted as there is a belief that the powers that be are up to no good.

A certain few Celtic fans like to believe, or should I say want to believe, that there is a conspiracy amongst those that run our game against their club.  It gives them a simple answer as to why, on occasions, refereeing decisions have gone against them.  It is not down to poor judgement by the man in the middle but more a case of he has it in for Celtic.

Hoops fans will say though that it has went on through history. The problem is that we live in a country which has two clubs from the same city which has dominated the domestic competitions in Scotland for decades.  It will lead to suspicion from time to time that is not just down to bad luck and poor judgement but something more sinister.

If there is a conspiracy then why have Celtic won more league titles in the past ten years than their bitter rivals? When did this so called conspiracy begin? Two years ago it was some Rangers fans bemoaning that the powers that be in Scottish football were against them in their quest to win the quadruple. 

Prior to Sunday's Old Firm showdown Celtic put the spotlight onto the referee claiming that this season too many decisions had went against them.  Many claimed, including George Peat (SFA President), that it put undue pressure onto Dougie MacDonald, the man taking charge of Sunday's fixture.  An experienced whistler who was about to referee his fifth old firm match.  The four previous matches he officiated resulted in three Celtic victories including last season's League Cup Final. Where is the conspiracy there? MacDonald also took charge of last season's first SPL old firm derby in which Rangers won 4-2.  The Ibrox club were furious at the sending off of Daniel Cousin.

Those that believe in the conspiracy, point to the previous old firm derbies this season.  In the New Year clash Celtic fans fumed at the decision to chalk off a Marc Antoine Fortune goal after the referee adjudged he fouled Allan MacGregor.  This obviously proved there is a bias towards the blue half of Glasgow?  Well a similar decision was taken a couple of weeks ago in the English Premier League match between Stoke City and Manchester City. The referee blew for a foul on Man City's goalkeeper Shay Given when he was under pressure from one of Rory Delap's remarkable throw-ins.  Is there a conspiracy against Stoke City?

The real issue is poor refereeing decisions, plain and simple.  Look at the past week's Champions league matches, the pinnacle of our club game in Europe.  Fiorentina must be fuming after poor refereeing decisions in their match against Bayern Munich. It is though easy for us armchair pundits to sit and criticise the man in the middle after having the benefit of seeing the incident from twelve different angles.

Old firm fans who involve themselves in such drivel should remove their tinted spectacles and understand that not everyone in Scotland is of a certain persuasion.  Both sets of supporters could quite happily sit and rhyme off a catalogue of decisions that have went against them throughout history. Just like any other football supporter in Scotland and beyond.

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray would be probably quite happy for these conspiracy plots to continue to dominate the sports pages and the thoughts of his own supporters as it takes the limelight off himself. In what I have to say was a poor performance by his side in a match they had to win.

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