Douglas Ross feels that full time referees wouldn’t improve the standard of officiating in Scottish games.
The extreme right-wing Tory MP picks up lucrative pocket money as an assistant referee to top up his Westminster salary and very generous expenses.
With match fees of £1,000 per game, plus expenses, refereeing in the top flight is a very well rewarded secondary income.
Adding in fees for European and international matches makes refereeing a very appealing sideline with Ross keen to ensure that he gets the chance to top up his Westminster salary.
“All I would say is, in England, they employ full-time referees and there are still controversies,” he told the BBC taking a break from representing his constituents.
“Unfortunately, the beautiful game that so many of us enjoy, part of the reason many people enjoy it is because it’s down to a matter of opinions.
“Whether you are professional, part-time or do it at the weekend as a hobby, there will always be interpretations and mistakes made. That’s unfortunately part of football.”
Ross was in line to officiate at the World Cup Finals in Russia but had to step down after being elected to Westminster at the 2017 General Election.
As an assistant referee he was responsible for getting Jozo Simunovic sent off at Ibrox earlier this year, screaming RED CARD, RED CARD, RED CARD at Willie Collum as Alfredo Morelos held his face in agony.
