No thanks- FIFA snub for Collum, Madden, Beaton, Walsh and Robertson

Willie Collum, Bobby Madden, Nick Walsh, John Beaton and Don Robertson will miss out on a lucrative month long jolly at the World Cup Finals in Qatar. 

Twenty European referees recently attended a four day seminar in Abu Dhabi to prepare for the finals but there was no one there from the elite Glasgow or Lanarkshire referee associations. 

Selecting one referee would allow others to tag along as assistants and fourth officials but it seems that FIFA don’t have the same respect for Scotland’s referees as Ian Bankier. 

Collum was chosen to referee at the 2016 European Championships in France, after being in charge of one match he was among the first batch of officials sent home, known in the trade as doing a Scotland. 

The Sun reports: 

Scotland’s referees are set for more World Cup heartbreak after being snubbed by Fifa. Global bosses gathered top officials from around the world for a four-day seminar in Abu Dhabi. 

But while 20 European refs attended, Scotland’s top whistler Willie Collum was not among them. The seminar is crucial in the build-up to Qatar 2022, with just ten Euro ref spots available. 

Last summer Hampden hosted four matches at the European Championships but no Scottish referees were involved at any level.