Fans challenge SFA to prove there's no bias

HEARTS supporters today demanded the Scottish Football Association prove there is no Old Firm bias in Scotland.

With the Hampden bosses meeting in Glasgow to discuss whether the Gorgie outfit has brought the game into disrepute with a request for an inquiry into the handling of the recent SPL clash against Rangers at Tynecastle, fans have underlined their support for the club in a hard-hitting letter to the SFA.

The four main fans groups - the Trust, Federation, Shareholders’ Association and Forum - have stressed they are in complete agreement with the club’s stance on the issue and have taken the unprecedented step of writing to SFA chief executive David Taylor asking him to investigate the "reliability and fairness" of decisions involving both Rangers and Celtic.

Controversy erupted earlier this month after Hugh Dallas awarded an injury-time penalty to Rangers on the advice of assistant Andy Davis, who claimed Lee Miller had fouled Sotirios Kyrgiakos in the incident unseen by anyone else inside Tynecastle. In the mayhem that followed, the visiotrs' Dado Prso was dismissed and Saulius Mikoliunas sent off twice before Fernando Ricksen converted the spot-kick to clinch a 2-1 win.

"None of us can recollect an outburst of anger and frustration that compares in any way to that experienced at the end of the Hearts-Rangers game," says the Trust’s David Orr in the letter to Taylor.

"We believe it came from years of cumulative frustration and the strong suspicion that the odds are stacked in favour of the Old Firm in such games.

"It is vital that the SFA takes this issue seriously and carries out a proper investigation into the reliability and fairness of decisions in SPL matches.

"Looked at through the hothouse glass of football politics and journalism in Glasgow, some have asserted that there is no problem, that Hearts have over-reacted and that they may even have ‘brought the game into disrepute’.

"Any such finding by the SFA would merely reinforce the view held throughout Scotland, but outside Glasgow, that things are ordered to the benefit of Rangers and Celtic."

As acting chief executive, Sergei Fedotovas called for the inquiry and he was due to attend today’s Hampden hearing with the General Purposes Committee in the company of a legal adviser. The Lithuanian, new owner Vladimir Romanov’s right-hand man, believes requesting the inquiry was a basic human right and will strongly put his case to the panel with the full backing of the punters who have demanded the SFA carry out a statistical analysis of decisions involving the Glasgow giants.

"As a minimum we propose there should be an independent statistical analysis carried out of decisions made in a statistically robust sample of games, perhaps over the past two seasons and for the whole of next season, involving either Rangers or Celtic against any other SPL opponents," says Orr.

"Such an analysis might be conducted by a relevant department at a UK university to ensure independence and academic rigour.

"We also propose that, before the start of season 2005/06, all SPL referees and assistant referees should state which, if any, SPL teams they have previously supported, as is the case in the English Premiership.

"And we ask that the SFA should state immediately that the ludicrous suggestion that the board of Hearts has ‘brought the game into disrepute’ is unconditionally withdrawn.

"Failure to do so would leave the SFA open to the charge that it refuses even to explore any challenge, and to the charge that it has itself ‘brought the game into disrepute’."

Orr added: "We cannot overstate how serious we think this matter is. We believe it has gone unchallenged for far too long.

"It is not the integrity of individual officials at stake here, or even the integrity of one decision. It is the integrity of Scottish football as a whole.

"If our belief that a disproportionately large number of decisions go in favour of Celtic and Rangers is correct, it has serious detrimental implications for all concerned, including the Old Firm clubs.

"It makes our already uncompetitive league even less competitive, which leads to a reduction in paying customers and a perception of a poor quality football product.

"The decision by the board of Hearts to seek an inquiry is, in our view, a reflection of these legitimate concerns. Now that the request has been turned down we ask that the SFA, as the key administrators of Scottish professional football, do not bury your collective head in the sand and pretend that there is no problem.

"In order to arrest the decline in the quality of our football product, the SPL has to be seen to act."