Players’ Union Chief Criticises SFA

Fraser Wishart, chief executive of the Scottish Professional Footballers’ Association, has criticised the Scottish Football Association’s handling of the incident that saw two players banned from further international duty.

Wishart says Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor found out their Scotland careers were over through the media as opposed to any direct communication from the SFA.

The Rangers duo were dropped from the Scotland line-up following a late-night drinking session at the team hotel but were then subsequently photographed making V-signs on the bench during the national team’s game against Iceland.

The SFA then released a statement saying that the players would no longer by considered for international duty while Ferguson was stripped of the Rangers captaincy and both he and McGregor were fined two weeks’ wages and suspended for a fortnight.

Said Wishart: ‘Nobody contacted the players and I think they were due that courtesy. We’ve all made mistakes and I’m of the view that you should be given a second chance.

‘The players have been big enough themselves to hold up their hands immediately to apologise to Scotland manager George Burley. We have to draw a line under this somewhere and we’re getting to that stage. How long do we kick people when they’re down?’

Wishart said the lack of communication between the players and the SFA was a source of frustration.

‘One of the things that really disappointed myself and the players was that they found out via a radio bulletin that they no longer had a Scotland career – on their way to a disciplinary meeting at Rangers.

‘So, I think there were one or two things that could’ve been handled better. They’ve not had the opportunity to sit down and discuss what went on in Wednesday night’s game.

‘Sunday (the drinking session) was dealt with by the manager, quite rightly. He’s in charge of team matters and he got a fantastic victory, which, I think, has been lost in all of this.

‘If you look at the quotes in the papers on Friday, (SFA chief executive) Gordon Smith said: ‘we consider this matter closed’ but (SFA president) George Peat then says he wants to know everything and wants to know why the players made the gestures.

‘Nobody will ever know, now, what went on in the heads of the players because this action has been taken. As we speak, no-one at the SFA has contacted the players.’