Did Dougie Dougie lie to the Celtic manager?

SFA Chief Stewart Regan has admitted that Dougie Dougie McDonald lied to the match observer at the recent Dundee United-Celtic match.

Was that Dougie Dougie’s only lie in the affair?

While conducting a round of media interviews to praise McDonald’s bravery Hugh Dallas claimed that: “He (Neil Lennon) received a full explanation, which he found acceptable after the match.”

Lennon has publicly contradicted that version saying: “I accepted his explanation of why he changed his mind, but I still don’t agree with it.”

Presumably the explanation that Lennon was told was the mysterious ‘Dougie Dougie’ version which McDonald stuck with until Craven’s resignation exposed the cosy cover up.

With no comment coming out of Hampden yesterday over the version of events given to Lennon at Tannadice it’ll be interesting to read Celtic’s response to the matter.

Regan who was recently installed as the Chief Executive of the SFA now knows that he is nothing more than a spokesman for the various committees that make up the SFA.

Decision making powers are non-existent with every statement issued from Hampden needing to be approved by the relevant committee.

While the seven man referee committee cobbled together the least damaging version of what went on at Tannadice assistant referee Steven Craven resigned over the incident.

As Regan laughingly prepares to launch a Respect campaign for officials he should look closer to home at how the SFA lost an official in an attempt to protect the good name of Dougie Dougie McDonald.

Regan claimed: “Dougie said things in the heat of the moment. They were not true. He said something he fully regretted, but there was no wilful intent in what he did.

“You can call it a lie if you wish. The view of the SFA Referee Committee was he acted on the spur of the moment. His head was spinning when he came off and he was gutted with himself for making the decision.

“Dougie has apologised to everybody – Steven, his family, the SFA and the Referees’ Association.

“He is full of remorse. This is a guy with 29 years’ experience and an unblemished record.

“He is one of Scotland’s leading referees. He wants to prove he is still one of the leading referees.”

Dougie Dougie’s lie would have been allowed to lie if only Craven hadn’t resigned after becoming the fall guy in the incident.

Regan added: “What Dougie did was come off and give information to the referee’s observer about what happened.

“It would have been very easy for Dougie, having blown the whistle, to think ‘fine’ and let it lie. He was man enough to say he got it wrong.”

It seems that Dougie Dougie was only man enough to admit to his lie after Craven decided to resign.

Driving home after the match Dougie Dougie didn’t decide to contact the match observer to admit to fabricating Craven’s role.

Dougie Dougie didn’t think about calling Hugh Dallas to explain the true version of events as the Head of Refereeing set out to justify the event.

Dallas then embarked on a number of media interviews highlighting the great teamwork that goes on amongst officials to get decisions right.

With Craven as the fall guy the incident was neatly explained with Dougie Dougie the hero of the hour after being brave enough to overturn his original mistake.

Dallas claimed: “Dougie, after having given the decision, then received information from the assistant referee that the goalkeeper had played the ball from the better position that the assistant referee was in.”

Three days after the incident Dallas was still peddling the ‘received information from the assistant referee’ version.

When was it that Dougie Dougie decided to own up and admit that he alone overturned the decision offering Craven as the scapegoat?

Was this the first time that Dougie Dougie had used that tactic or was it a spur of the moment instinct to protect himself at the expense of a colleague.

In the same round of interviews Dallas claimed: “He (Neil Lennon) received a full explanation, which he found acceptable after the match.”

The Celtic manager quickly contradicted that version of events telling Channel 67: “I accepted the explanation, but still the decision rankles with me.

“I did the interview after the game and then I went to see the referee. I accepted his explanation of why he changed his mind, but I still don’t agree with it.”

Regan claimed yesterday: “The issue we have challenged him on is literally one of transparency of all the information.”

Was that transparency of information limited to Dougie Dougie’s report to the observer or did his transparency of information also apply to lying to the Celtic manager?

Steven Craven to speak out

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