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We have seen over the last couple of months Safety Officers contacting us, particularly from EFL teams asking who can call off a match, to the extent that we have organised a CPD training event at the forthcoming FSOA Conference so we can understand the procedures in place and get the decisions right. I’m sure my colleagues will find this session interesting, informative and knowledge-giving.

Only in our beloved Scotland, in the wake of the warmest February on record, could a match referee be faced with the challenge of an “invasion” by fog, as happened last night at the Kilmarnock v Motherwell fixture at Rugby Park.

Take a look at the video. In the first half it is “business as usual” but shortly after the commencement of the second half, in came the mist, leaving the referee and,to an extent,  the home Safety Officer with a number of decisions to make.

I wonder how many of us can remember one of the earliest Match of the Day programmes from Anfield, when a similar thing happened. Liverpool scored but the Koppites couldn’t see because it was at the Anfield Road end. So they sang “Who scored the goal?”. The visiting fans replied “Tony Hateley, Tony Hateley” and the Kop responded with “Thank you very much for your information, thank you very much, thank you very, very, very much”. The Kop response was adapted from a chart single by the Scaffold and, I think featured Paul McCartney’s brother.

Take a look

Also there are some interesting comments from the referee explaining some of his rationale in taking the ultimate decision.

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