in the Scot Foam Stadium in Dens Park, Dundee, referee Don Robertson confers with officials and Rangers manager Philippe Clement before to postponing the highly anticipated Premiership match. Date of picture: March 17, 2024, a Sunday. PA picture. See SOCCER Dundee, a PA tale. The caption for the photo should say Andrew Milligan/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use is constrained in certain ways. Only for editorial purposes; no commercial use allowed without the owner’s prior permission.
Referee Don Robertson has come under fire from Chris Sutton following the abrupt postponement of the Rangers’ match at Dundee.
It is inexcusable, according to the Record Sport columnist, that the match official arrived less than two hours before the planned noon kickoff.According to Sutton, the absurdity of the situation makes the Scottish Premiership resemble a Mickey Mouse league. The Ibrox team was furious over the postponement, which means that they trail Celtic by one point at the top of the table going into the international break.
Furthermore, Sutton is sure that the delay in taking action has demonstrated a clear contempt for the supporters of the Scottish game. As a Sky Sports pundit, Sutton arrived at Dens Park prior to 9 a.m. and was aware that a local referee would be inspecting the pitch at 9:15 a.m. Even though the fixture was in grave danger at that moment, Robertson didn’t make the official decision for nearly an hour.
That is unacceptable, Sutton blasts, adding, “It’s a complete embarrassment.” Don claims that the choice was simple. So how in the world could it not have been produced sooner? At 9:15 a.m., the amateur referee looked over and expressed concerns. They then had to wait for Don, who shows up after about an hour. Don, or any other match official, ought to arrive at the stadium no less than three hours before to kickoff.
“Why is he even considering approaching the ground with his rock less than two hours prior? He wandered out onto the pitch at 10.17 a.m., according to my watch. He is comparable to a star. What a bunch of bullshit.
“Listen, Don could not be the only one involved. It could be the SPFL protocol stating that showing up at that time is OK. He’s the match referee, good lord. The only person who matters most at a game before it starts and the only one with the authority to cancel it? And he arrives there two hours in advance.
It’s a joke, whoever is in charge. The league comes across as Mickey Mouse as a result. Rangers may have arrived before the referee, in my opinion. Prior to this, Philippe Clement was on the field. My main complaint about this whole situation is the timing, but you can’t control the weather. That isn’t appropriate.
Can you image a Premier League match in the English Premier League being called off less than an hour and a half before kickoff? Sutton went on to explain that it’s a terrible look for the competition. or La Liga? It is degrading.
How did we get to this point? You could blame the poor pitch, the drainage, or the torrential downpour. It merely exposes us to criticism and labels of being ridiculous and careless.
According to Sutton, the argument is straightforward: if the call had been made sooner, several fans may have been prevented from leaving for Dens Park. “Those who travel from south of the border are taking a risk because anything can happen overnight,” he clarified. It is inevitable. However, many of Rangers supporters would have left the Glasgow region early on the morning of the match, and who knows where they ended up? Before they ever left the house, they might have been apprehended.
Maybe even Dundee supporters. Not every home fan needs to reside nearby. It is terrible for them. They seem to be at the bottom of the list when it comes to consideration, in my opinion.
Meanwhile, Robertson asserted that he was forced to cancel the game. Upon conducting a second pitch assessment, he concluded that the Dens Park surface was unfit for play. “The players’ safety was the only consideration for me,” he declared. It was obvious that it was not in a playable state.
“There were a few areas of concern in front of the dugout and in the upper penalty area, and the ball wasn’t bouncing.” After that, it’s an easy choice because the playing circumstances were risky for the players.
The match referee made the final call after a local referee had supervised the initial examination at 9:15 p.m. “Dundee contacted the Scottish FA and the league this morning to say they had concerns with the pitch,” Robertson acknowledged.
At that moment, a primary inspection is conducted by a local referee. At that moment, it was decided that there would be a last inspection upon my arrival at the stadium by the league and the clubs. After the clubs and the league reached a consensus on that stance, it was up to me to make the ultimate call.