I’m no mason- Hugh Dallas hits out at documentary claims

Hugh Dallas has denied being a Freemason, claiming that he has only once been inside a Masonic Hall, to give blood in Shotts.

For the best part of a decade the man from Bonkle was Scotland’s top referee, revelling in the role as he saw himself as the star of the show at a time when Sky Sports gave the SPL similar treatment as the EPL.

Every move he made was for effect with dramatic gestures as he courted attention and controversy with the media kept sweet with regular updates on his soaring career which peeked with a couple of games at the 2002 World Cup Finals.

Dallas was the Head of Refereeing at the SFA during the Dougie Dougie incident when Dougie McDonald lied to Neil Lennon to pin the blame for a decision on his assistant Steven Craven. The following night Dallas was on Radio Clyde backing up the lies, once Craven started to drop off the SFA rota he spoke out about what had happened at Tannadice.

It seems that a documentary that looked closely at the incredible success and influence of the Lanarkshire Referee Association has irked Dallas into a reaction.

The Sun reports Dallas saying:

I watched a documentary on YouTube about me being a Mason. This is what I would say was – not that I respected him – but it was from a respected author/journalist.

You couldn’t make this up. Orange this. Masonic, and brother. I’ve never even been a Masonic hall. I tell a lie. I went in to give a pint of blood one year in Shotts.

So where they get this information from, I don’t know. Of course you’re using the word crackpots there, if there are enough of them watching them and listening, they believe that.

That particular thing that I watched, Wow. I remember taking legal advice on it. And my lawyer looked at it, and said ‘leave it, don’t even waste the money’.

In 2011 Dallas left the SFA after being involved in a derogatory email about the Pope.

Dallas’ son Andrew is one of two full time VAR officials with the SFA after his on field career was ended by injury.

With Dallas denying that he is a Freemason the precedent has been set for current referees to declare whether or not they are in the craft.