Craig Thomson and Wilie Collum have missed out on going to the World Cup.
FIFA have selected 52 referees for the trip to Brazil with Scotland’s leading duo overlooked.
Having been fast tracked through the ranks and Scotland and with the lobbying of Hugh Dallas at UEFA level hopes were high at the SFA that they would have a referee taking part in the finals.
Europe will be represented by referee’s from the main nations plus Turkey, Serbia, Sweden and Norway with Howard Webb, despite his recent problems, representing England.
Thomson and Collum are currently on a five star training break in La Manga, before heading up that trip SFA refereeing supremo John Fleming said: “Abroad they (Scottish referees) are doing exceptionally well. The latest FIFA International List of Referees has just been announced and that shows just how well we are doing.
“We have seven male and two female international referees and 10 male and one female assistant referees. Two of our international referees – Craig Thomson and William Collum – are in the UEFA elite category, which is the highest category in Europe which compares favourably for a country like Scotland with a population of around five million when you consider only three countries have more: England, Spain and Italy.
“Only two other countries have two elite referees and they are Germany with a population of 82m and Portugal with a population of 10.5m.
“In terms of performances in Europe, we’ve had several referees involved in UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Women’s Champions League fixtures. A special mention must go to Craig Thomson who refereed the FIFA Under-17 World Cup Final last year and that is a reward for all his hard work.
“To receive an invitation to a prestigious finals tournament is a fantastic honour in itself but for Craig to be appointed to the final match is great for him personally and for Scotland.”
Despite the honour of refereeing the u-17 World Cup Final Thomson will be looking on from afar when the whistles blow in Brazil.
CLICK HERE for list of World Cup Final referees.
All I can say is ……. Hahahahahahahahaha
What a load of rubbish from Fleming. Thomson was responsible for the worst performance in refereeing the quarter final of CL when he gifted a passage to the next round for Dortmund who then reached the final. He also allowed a Malaga player to leave the field of play jump on to the fencing with no action taken a worse offence than the sending off he gave for Kris Commons at Tynecastle.
So much for Fleming saying, the dynamic
duo,are on the elite of the elite UEFA list.
Surely, there isn’t.corruption going on,
within FIFA’s refereeing fraternity ?
No.They are not.trusted to do their job at
the World Cup.In other words, they are not good enough.
Unlike UEFA FIFA must take into account the performances in their home country.
I would be demanding to know why our refs are not considered for reffing at the WC. After all their experience in reffing Dumbarton v Cowdenbeath games I’m sure would be invaluable.
hail hail
Chickens home to roost is the phrase that springs to mind. Craig Thomsons ugly mush must have disqualified him alone. Cheating masonic barstewards the lot of them.
I cannot abide the smug look on Craig Ts mush. Rank rotten masonic basturts the lot if them.
Would love to see F I F A report on the two of them.
PJ44,
Yes, as long as Dougie McDonald doesn’t
get to the report first.
Then the bigot Dallas,rewrites the report
with him !!
The biggest surprise in this whole article is they thought they would be considered. Their incompetence can only matched by the sfa. I would trust a sevco financial adviser before trusting them. At least with sevco you get a choice to be fleased unlike these two numpties who are inflicted upon us.
Collum would a been giving penaltys while facing the opposite end of the ground in ha ha ha ha
during the refs “strike ” a few years ago the comment about Thomsons performance in a game between Ajax and Real Madrid was so bad that the pundits said at half time that he should also go on strike.
They are not up to it and now FIFA are beginning to see it.
Hardly surprising that none of our refs are considered good enough. Their performances are awful especially in Celtic games. I suppose it’s hardly surprising when we hear that Dougie Dougie is back training refs and Dallas Junior is performing like the old man and forgot that he had given a Rangers player a yellow card which saved him a suspension. These guys and their predecessors have been ruining Scottish football for so long.
Thank you FIFA For not give these boys in black the change to scraw up at W C they and there fellow boys have never been good enough to ref at any leva Keep the Bigot where they belong Hail. Hail JMJ
Every game I have seen which has been refereed by Thomson or Collum has been riddled by refereeing blunders, some of which were of the outrageous kind.
But they are allowed to blunder on week after week.
All referees make mistakes, but not on the scale of these two, and they are supposed to be the best in Scotland.
Says it all really.