Thursday 21 February 2019 16:52, UK
Hearts manager Craig Levein has dismissed suggestions foreign referees should be used in the Scottish Premiership, but has called for greater geographic diversity among homegrown officials.
Levein, who is also on the board of directors at Hearts, attended a meeting between Scottish Premiership clubs on Monday, after which reports emerged suggesting there had been a proposal to introduce foreign referees.
However, the Scottish Football Association told Sky Sports News on Wednesday the idea was a "non-starter", and Levein has corroborated their account.
"The foreign referees was a complete surprise to me," Levein said on Thursday.
"I was at a meeting last week and it was never brought up."
The latest refereeing controversy of the Scottish season came on Wednesday evening, as Kilmarnock manager Steve Clarke described Alan Muir's decision to send off goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann sent off against Rangers as "a joke" after seeing his side lose 5-0 at Ibrox.
Another referee, John Beaton, contacted the police after receiving threatening messages following his handling of the Old Firm derby between Rangers in Celtic in December.
Levein argues the fact Beaton, who hails from Lanarkshire, and Glasgow Referees' Association member Muir have to live in communities where they are surrounded by supporters of both Rangers and Celtic only increases the pressure they are forced to operate under.
"The Glasgow and Lanarkshire refs do most of the big games. We have seven FIFA officials and all of them are from Glasgow or Lanarkshire," Levein said.
"So if you ask these guys because they are the top referees to do an Old Firm game then the pressures are enormous.
"You saw what happened to John Beaton. That type of thing comes from him living in the heartlands of those clubs. They can't get away from it.
"If we beefed up the other associations in there we could put an Edinburgh ref in there, a Fife ref or an Aberdeen ref."
