‘Honest’ Willie Collum’s double standards as he knowingly ignores the biggest conflict of interest

After the shock of discovering that Willie Collum has a voice and that SFA referees make mistakes there has been plenty of follow up to Wednesday’s media blitz by the Head of Refereeing at the SFA.

In a carefully co-ordinated operation alongside Gordon Duncan every effort was made to present Collum as a regular guy trying his best to improve Scottish football at all levels.

Generally the mainstream reacted positively to an easy and cheap source of content while social media took a more detached, reflective approach, listening to Collum’s words and the selected release of footage from eight matches.

Ross Hardie’s coaching of Tom Lawrence against Ross County quickly went viral while the mainstream fell over themselves to explain why that was perfectly normal. Another nail in their almost completed coffin.

On Radio Clyde the issue of referees having to declare the team that they support was raised with Collum highly defensive, even claiming that Scottish referees are a breed apart, leaving their backgrounds behind as soon as they switch into refereeing mode.

The rest of the world knows that is nonsense, it is why UEFA don’t appoint Scottish referees for matches involving Scottish clubs and why the 2012 Ibrox Tribute Act recently went 72 SPFL matches without conceding a penalty.

In six Champions League matches in season 22/23 the same club had three penalties awarded against them by those pesky foreign officials.

Collum did admit that a referee that worked for a sponsor of a football club would declare his interest and not be involved in matches affecting that club.

So Scottish referees can be compromised?

Under Collum’s nose is the biggest and most obvious conflict of interest involving the man regarded as Scotland’s top referee, an accolade confirmed by being put in charge of the Scottish Cup Final. Walsh shot through the ranks under Crawford Allan much like Collum did when Hugh Dallas was in charge of refereeing at the SFA.

Monday to Friday Nick Walsh works on the fitness, well-being and education of the Murray Park starlets at Boclair Academy in Bearsden, at the weekend he is regularly involved in deciding football matches involving their club/employer.

Picking up on Collum’s appearance on Super Scoreboard, The Sun reports the Head of Refereeing saying:

First of all, referees need to declare an interest. For example, we had a top assistant referee a couple of seasons ago, his son was playing for a senior club, even though it was under 19 level, he declared that as an interest.

Or if somebody works in a company who’s perhaps sponsoring a particular club, they were the things that we would expect referees to declare an interest.

But being in daily contact with young players and club coaches sails through the Collum Test over a conflict of interest.

Walsh could find a job as a Deputy Head Teacher at a variety of schools, the fact that Boclair Academy has had a partnership for eight years with a member club of the SFA highlights just how comfortable everyone on the refereeing circuit is with the current arrangements.

If Walsh is so attached to that school and has a love of refereeing the SFA could ensure that he is only involved in matches involving east coast clubs, happily they choose not to.

Collum asked where do you draw the line? There is no shortage of social media content from friends and family members about Greg Aitken, Andrew Dallas, John Beaton and David Dickinson and their favourite team. Collum knows the problems and issues but selects the comfort of deflection rather than dealing with the matter in the same manner as they do across Europe.

In June 2016 East Dunbartonshire Council announced:

Rangers Football Club has agreed an innovative partnership with East Dunbartonshire Council that will see the most talented young players combining their academic and football studies in a new and challenging environment.

The Rangers Academy, and indeed the whole football department, has undergone significant change over the last year and work is ongoing with the key objective to create a modern, progressive and innovative football department which is recognised as a leader in the field.

Today (Wednesday, 22 June 2016) the Club is pleased to announce another exciting initiative which will enhance the education and football development options available to our young players and give them the best possible chance to grow as human beings – not just footballers.

From August, 24 of our best youth prospects who are aged 11 to 15 will move their education to Boclair Academy – one of the top performing schools in Glasgow – which will complement their football education at The Rangers Football Centre.

The football element of their education will be delivered at the school by Alan Boyd, one of the Club’s highly-rated coaches who is joining the Academy on a full-time basis, supported by a team of coaches, sports scientists and analysts. Creag Robertson will also join the Club from Falkirk FC in a new position as Head of Academy Education & Business and he will support the school with regard to the players’ academic education and manage the relationships between all of the project’s partners.