Back in 2010 while he was head of Refereeing at the SFA Hugh Dallas tried to carry out an incredible cover up.
After Dougie McDonald decided to over-rule a penalty he awarded to Celtic at Dundee United a story was concocted to put the u-turn on assistant Steven Craven.
After the match Neil Lennon was lied to in the referee’s room at Tannadice. In the media fall out all fingers were pointed at Craven to protect McDonald, one of the Grade 1 referees at the SFA.
Dallas even appeared on Radio Clyde’s Super Scoreboard to explain the decision, how Craven had drawn McDonald’s attention to an incident that the match referee had a clear view of.
Craven went along with the cover up version to preserve his SFA career but when he started to drop off the rota for match appointments he decided to speak out.
Explaining the reality, the timeline and the cover up was a brave decision, exposing the reality of the SFA under Dallas instantly brought his refereeing career to a halt, he was given a lifetime ban from the Glasgow Refereeing Association.
Speaking to the Sunday Mail Craven said:
On the Monday morning there was quite a reaction in the papers. I sent Dougie a text to ask what he thought of the fall-out. He called immediately and told me he had talked with Hugh the night before and decided to come clean.
Dougie told Hugh lies were told to the supervisor. He then told Hugh the truth – that I had not shouted for him to come over. I was then urged to tell Hugh the truth when he called me. I was happy to do so and felt quite relieved.
When Hugh phoned he asked me to talk over the penalty. He said: ‘So what happened after you called out for Dougie to come over? You called out Dougie, Dougie, Dougie?’
My wife was in the room and I told him that was not the case. I told Hugh he now knew the truth. The truth was the version Dougie had told him over the phone.
But Hugh repeated: ‘What are you talking about, you said Dougie, Dougie, Dougie and called him over’ but I told Dallas I did no such thing.
Dougie came clean and so did I. But Hugh didn’t seem to accept that. I phoned Dougie back and told him Hugh tried to make out this wasn’t true and denied having the conversation with Dougie on the Sunday night.
Dougie’s response was he thought Hugh was just trying to test me, that he wanted to see if I would tell the truth or stick to the previous story.
My reading of the situation was Hugh wanted to protect Dougie and leave me to take the flak.
It was wrong to lie and I’m not proud that I went along with Dougie’s suggestion. Rewind the clock and I wouldn’t do it. But it was worse to continue the lie. I was really upset after that conversation with Hugh.
??’I’m all for transparency, I don’t see any issue with it’
Conversations between referees and VARs will be aired for the first time tonight in the English Premier League?
Former referee Hugh Dallas says he’d be in favour of the same happening in Scottish Football ?? pic.twitter.com/JdIEMzTrKZ
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) May 15, 2023
A decade on Dallas is explaining the benefits of transparency to the nodding dogs of BBC Scotland. Not a chance that anyone at the state broadcaster would ask Dallas about the Dougie Dougie incident that totally contradicts what he had just said or how his totally talentless son Andrew rose so sharply through the refereeing ranks to award four penalties against St Mirren in one match at Ibrox.
Since VAR was introduced Crawford Allan hasn’t said a word on the record, his last public comment was when Kris Boyd and Robbie Neilson got upset by a goal scored by Celtic against Hearts.
Bobby Madden is the latest edition to the sports team at BBC Scotland, joining Macintyre, Alasdair Lamont, Jane Lewis, Rory Loy, Tom English, Neil McCann, Steven Thompson and Kenny Miller offering diverse opinions on a range of sporting matters.
CLICK HERE for Steven Craven exposing the lies and cover up.
CLICK HERE as Dougie McDonald confesses to the Dallas cover up.
Hugh Dallas the Transparency Champion!!!! Only for BBC Scotland.https://t.co/R5JGkXuyl6 https://t.co/tx0y6Uswtq
— Joe McHugh (@videocelts) May 16, 2023
Any forthcoming transparency will be as clear as Guinness ! Have you ever noticed how the game in Scotland is fronted on all platforms by the Rangers men ? Radio , television , newspaper chief sport scoops , refereeing , VAR , governing bodies ! In other words if you are expecting a root and branch change in attitude of the refereeing standards in this skewed sport to make it more fairer for all clubs , you have not been paying attention .
What,s really transparent is the fact that Dallas is an anti catholic bigot.He should be nowhere near BBC sport Scotland. Yet he is never off their show. I have heard his views six or seven times over the past twelve months.If he had made these derogatory comments about any other religious group he would quite rightly been shunned.Not at the good old inclusive multicultural BBC