Calum Murray: I was not lenient

Published on 09/07/2011 16:30

Calum Murray has denied claims made by Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson that he offered pleas in mitigation to the SFA disciplinary committee for Madjid Bougherra manhandling him during March's explosive Old Firm Scottish Cup replay. At an SFA hearing Bougherra received just a £2,500 fine and a warning.

Thompson, who was on the committee, has claimed that Murray "had made it very difficult" for them to impose a suspension and that, when Murray was asked what further punishment he would hand down, he said: "Probably a booking, one point"

Murray rejects that version of events. "That's completely incorrect," he said. "It wasn't the case that I was the one who got him off. As a referee, you report the incident as you determine it to be and then let others decide the punishment.

"Moving forward, if a similar incident happens this season it would be comfortably categorised into a particular sanctionable incident. Last year there wasn't an appropriate sanction."