Rent-a-quote former referee Kenny Clark was too busy yesterday to attend a meeting with MSP’s to discuss Scottish football.
The former Category One referee has made himself available to virtually every media outlet throughout the country over the last week pleading the case for referees giving out confusing messages for their weekend strike action.
Former First Minster Henry McLeish has already published the first part of his blueprint for the future of Scottish football which has been pressing for more government investment.
Yesterday at Hollyrood a cross party sports group headed by Margo MacDonald heard Jeanette Findlay of the Celtic Supporters Trust call for an independent review of Scottish Football.
The meeting would have presented Clark with the perfect opportunity to state the case for referees but neither the Paisley based solicitor or his sidekick Stuart Dougal could spare the time from work commitments.
Former SNP leader MacDonald, convenor of the group, reported that Clark had been invited to address the meeting but had called off because of work commitments.
Perhaps securing live television coverage of the meeting might have changed his priorities.
Highlighting the current refereeing crisis Findlay said: “We have had a match official who told lies, who admitted telling lies, and is still refereeing.
“We have had a head of referee development who knew that the lie was told and gave press statements the following day but didn’t bother to mention that.
“If you are undertaking a review with the objective of making it open and transparent, then the review process itself should be transparent and accountable and they should speak to all the stakeholders like ourselves and other clubs and tell us what they going to do.”
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One forgotten man who had the integrity to speak up and start the ball rolling here is Steven Craven.
His show of honesty and morality helped bring down the corrupt Mr. Dallas.
Congratulations Mr. Craven. You did what we have tried to do for years. You are a man with integrity and sheer class.