Top referee is charged for 'racist remarks' over player

Published on Tuesday 10 February 2009 21:08

A REFEREE who officiated in football's top flight has been charged over alleged racist remarks about a former Rangers player.

Mike Ritchie, 49, who has taken charge of games in the Scottish Premier League, is claimed to have described a former Rangers striker as a "black b******" after a function in Aberdeen.

Ritchie is alleged to have made the remarks about the French player Jean-Claude Darcheville on 10 November last year while leaving the Mannofield Cricket Club following a meeting of the Aberdeen and District Referees Association.

Police said yesterday that a report has been sent to the procurator-fiscal concerning the alleged incident.

Mr Ritchie, from Macduff, has officiated several prominent fixtures in his career, including games featuring Rangers. Appointed a grade 1 referee – the most senior rank – in 1999, he has scaled down his workload after breaking his ankle. He works with the SFA to train young referees and is employed by the NHS as a risk trainer.

A Grampian Police spokeswoman said: "A male has been charged in relation to an incident at Mannofield Cricket Club on November 10, 2008. A report has been sent to the procurator-fiscal."

No-one from the SFA was available for comment.