SFA scandal far from a joke for former Grade One referee

THE crisis that engulfed the SFA after the "Pope e-mail" scandal has already claimed the scalp of former head of refereeing Hugh Dallas.

The respected former Fifa official resigned after it emerged that he had sent on the e-mail, which showed a "Pope coming" caption under a "Caution: children crossing" road hazard road sign.

It is understood that Mr Dallas is not among those who have got their jobs back, as he intends to take the SFA to a tribunal.

Made an MBE for his services to football, Mr Dallas officiated at two Fifa World Cup tournaments, in 1998 and 2002, and was appointed fourth official for the 2002 Fifa World Cup Final.

Mr Dallas also officiated at the 1996 Olympic Games, the 1999 Uefa Cup Final and several Uefa Champions League matches.

He was appointed head of referee development in June 2009.

In a separate scandal last November, assistant referee Steven Craven accused Mr Dallas of having exerted pressure on him to support fellow referee Dougie McDonald, who had lied about a disallowed penalty for Celtic in a match against Dundee United.

Mr Dallas himself had publicly repeated Mr McDonald's false version of events but had denied allegations of "bullying and harrassment".