Former top referee Bobby Madden has claimed Scottish referees are "killing the game" by stopping play too often, and he has criticised head of refereeing Willie Collum for failing to have a "positive impact" on Scottish football.
Officials have faced scrutiny this season over several high-profile VAR and on-field decisions. Madden, a former SFA and FIFA referee, believes the bigger problem is more nuanced and relates to how matches are being managed.
Referees told not to let game breathe
Speaking on his So Near Yet So VAR podcast alongside retired English referee Mark Clattenburg, Madden said referees slowing matches down by giving needless fouls is the biggest issue with officiating. He attributes this to Collum, who he feels is letting his own style of refereeing influence the game.
Madden said: "This is a comment I get from people involved in football in Scotland. Referees in Scotland are killing the game and by killing the game, I mean stopping at every opportunity. If it's in the defensive third or the middle of the field of play and I can tell you why this is. The way Willie Collum refereed was 'safe refereeing,' don't let the game breathe, don't let a 50/50 go. It kills the game. I was very much 'let it go within reason.'"
Clattenburg defends individual officials
Clattenburg suggested the individual officials are not at fault, saying: "The referees are only following the model of what their bosses are telling them to do. If the bosses are how they always refereed, that goes into the training and development, who's going to follow it? I've been a head of refereeing, but I'd never tell a referee how to manage a game. That's an individual thing."
Madden doubled down, saying Collum should take the blame just as an under-pressure manager would if his players were not performing. He said: "They're all stopping the game. I see it every game I watch. I'm talking about top referees who are very, very good referees, I see them giving soft free-kicks that should never be given because it looks like a free-kick.
"It's not a free-kick but it's safe refereeing. It's in an area of the pitch where nobody's going to talk about it. But it stops the game. It's 30 seconds to restart the game. Rubbish. Let the game go. When your team isn't performing well, people look at the manager don't they? So Willie, I think, has not had a positive impact in his current position. That's what I'd say."
