Final whistle for accountant ref

FORMER top football referee Mike McCurry has lost his career as a chartered accountant, it was revealed yesterday.

The former SPL official had been facing disciplinary action by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

But he has now given up his membership, meaning he can no longer call himself a chartered accountant.

The institute's professional conduct committee had ruled he should face action on "matters pertaining to the audit and general management" of Jackson Lord & Co, the firm he had practised under.

Mr McCurry, a Baptist minister, has been at the centre of high-profile controversies on and off the field.

After a Scottish Premier League game between Rangers and Dundee United in May 2008, he was fiercely criticised by then United boss Craig Levein over mistakes he made during the match.

He also denied reports that he had an affair with a Sunday school teacher following a series of tabloid stories about his private life.

In May 2009, Mr McCurry was removed from the Scottish Football Association's Grade One list two years early – effectively ending his career as a top-class referee.

A spokesman for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland would not give details of why McCurry had faced action under two of their rules that cover professional misconduct and professional incompetence.

A statement on the institute's website said: "As a consequence of his voluntary resignation from membership, Mr McCurry will no longer be entitled to use the designation 'CA' or the description 'Chartered Accountant'."