SFA probe football official and MP's anti-traveller comment

An anti-traveller comment made by a football official and Conservative MP are being investigated by the Scottish FA's compliance officer.

Douglas Ross made an anti-traveller comment in an interview. Pciture: SNS/Paul Devlin

Douglas Ross, MP for Moray and assistant referee, could face a disciplinary panel following comments about “gypsies and travellers”.

Ross had been asked in a video interview with Core Politics what he would do in the position of Prime Minister for a day, his answer catching the attention of the SFA as well as criticism from Amnesty International and the Traveller community.

He responded by saying that he would “like to see tougher enforcement against gypsies and travellers”.

A spokesperson for the SFA said: “The Scottish FA is committed to ensuring that football in Scotland is open to all and we wish to reiterate our commitment to our Equality Action Plan,” he said.

“As an association we promote the values of equality, inclusion and respect with a view to creating an inclusive and cohesive culture across all levels of our game.”

“The comments made by Mr Ross have been brought to the attention of the compliance officer and it would therefore be inappropriate to make further comment at this time.”

The compliance officer will now investigate the comments before deciding if Ross is in breach of the association’s rules.