| Masked ringleader of crowd trouble during Italy-Serbia clash identified by tattoos Police have detained 17 people, including alleged ringleader, after rioting during Italy's Euro 2012 qualifier against Serbia. telegraph.co.uk |
England disappoints in draw with Montenegro England's strong start to European Championship qualifying came to a stuttering halt with a 0-0 tie Tuesday night against a stubborn Montenegro team that has not allowed a goal in Group G. cbc.ca |
SFA to overhaul its disciplinary procedures • Stewart Regan says the SFA must avoid repeat of strike• 'We need time to put changes in place,' says chief executiveStewart Regan, the Scottish Football Association chief executive, has promised to overhaul the national governing body's disciplinary processes to avoid a repeat of the crisis which led to the referees' strike last weekend.Domestic officials withdrew their labour and the four Scottish Premier League fixtures which took place – two others were postponed due to adverse weather – used referees drafted in from Luxembourg, Malta and Israel. Regan, who was appointed as the SFA's chief executive in the summer, hopes to oversee "significant improvement for the Scottish FA and the game in general"."The last week represented a challenging and traumatic time for Scottish football," said Regan. "Now that the refereeing fraternity has made its point through a withdrawal of labour, it is essential for the image and indeed the health of the game that we all learn from this experience to ensure no repeat."Scotland's leading officials last week took the decision to strike, seeking a "fundamental reappraisal" of their relationship with football and society, after their integrity was brought into question. The SFA offered referees conciliatory measures, including a blanket ban on comments about match officials. But the officials ruled out any chance of a "quick fix" and the strike went ahead."We have identified the need to make changes to our disciplinary processes," Regan said. "These changes will lead to significant improvement for the Scottish FA and the game. It is imperative we are given time to put the changes in place."After domestic officials reiterated their plan to withdraw their labour last Thursday, the SFA implemented its contingency plan to draft in foreign officials. Referees from Poland and Portugal were due to attend but opted out at the 11th hour after discovering the reasons for the strike.Regan said the SFA had not hidden the reasons for officials withdrawing their labour from recruited referees. "We spoke to dozens of associations. We sent out a request in which we made it clear there was likely to be a withdrawal of services because they received abuse. Whether respective associations fed that down to individual referees, we'll never know." Scottish Premier LeagueRefereesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Scottish FA promises 'new deal' for referees after weekend strike action SFA chief executive promises 'no repeat' of dispute which led to officials going on strike. telegraph.co.uk |
Inter Milan, Barcelona among seven to advance in Champions League Defending champion Inter Milan and three-time winner Barcelona were among seven teams to seal their places in the knockout stage of the Champions ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |