Dougie McDonald
Encyclopedia
Douglas "Dougie" McDonald (born 8 October 1965) was a Scottish
football
Category I referee from 1997 until his retirement in 2010.
McDonald refereed two Scottish Cup Finals, the 2006 match
between Hearts
and Gretna
, and the 2010 match
between Dundee United
and Ross County
. He also took charge of two League Cup
Finals; the 2007 Final
between Hibernian
and Kilmarnock
, and the 2009 Final
between Celtic
and Rangers
. McDonald refereed over 200 Scottish Premier League
games, including five Old Firm
matches.
McDonald was warned by the Scottish Football Association
for failing to clearly explain a decision in the match played between Dundee United
and Celtic
in October 2010. McDonald had initially awarded Celtic a penalty kick
but changed his decision after consulting with the assistant referee, Steven Craven. After the match, McDonald claimed that the change of decision had been heavily influenced by Craven, but in fact McDonald had realised his own error immediately and had only confirmed this with Craven.
Subsequent to the match, Craven resigned as an official due to the way this process had been handled. McDonald then admitted lying to the SFA
representative and Celtic manager Neil Lennon
about why the decision had been changed, but claimed that this lie had been suggested by Craven. Some players, managers and referees suggested McDonald should also resign, but he was allowed to continue. The fallout over the incident eventually led to the first ever Scottish football referee strike
, on 27 November 2010. McDonald retired with immediate effect the next day.
McDonald is a transport planner
by profession. He was promoted in 2007 to the position of Divisional Director by his employer, MVA Consultancy.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
Category I referee from 1997 until his retirement in 2010.
McDonald refereed two Scottish Cup Finals, the 2006 match
2006 Scottish Cup Final
The 2006 Scottish Cup Final was played on 13 May 2006 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 120th Scottish Cup. The final was contested by Heart of Midlothian , who beat Hibernian 4–0 in the semi-final, and Gretna, who beat Dundee 3–0....
between Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
and Gretna
Gretna F.C.
Gretna Football Club was a Scottish football club that represented the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland...
, and the 2010 match
2010 Scottish Cup Final
The 2010 Scottish Cup Final was the 125th final of the Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition, the Scottish Cup. The match took place on 15 May 2010, at Hampden Park, Glasgow and was contested by first time finalists Ross County and 1994 winners Dundee United...
between Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
and Ross County
Ross County F.C.
Ross County Football Club are a Scottish professional football team from the town of Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty. Founded in 1929 they currently compete in the Scottish Football League First Division and play their home matches at Victoria Park. Prior to the 1994–95 season they played in the...
. He also took charge of two League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
Finals; the 2007 Final
2007 Scottish League Cup Final
The 2007 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 18 March 2007 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the 60th Scottish League Cup Final. The final was contested by Kilmarnock and Hibernian, who had never met before in a Cup Final...
between Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
and Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
, and the 2009 Final
2009 Scottish League Cup Final
The 2009 Scottish League Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 Scottish League Cup, the 62nd season of the Scottish League Cup. The match was played at Hampden Park, Glasgow on 15 March 2009, and was won by Celtic, who beat Old Firm rivals and Cup holders, Rangers, 2-0 after extra...
between Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
and Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
. McDonald refereed over 200 Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
games, including five Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
matches.
McDonald was warned by the Scottish Football Association
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
for failing to clearly explain a decision in the match played between Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
and Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in October 2010. McDonald had initially awarded Celtic a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
but changed his decision after consulting with the assistant referee, Steven Craven. After the match, McDonald claimed that the change of decision had been heavily influenced by Craven, but in fact McDonald had realised his own error immediately and had only confirmed this with Craven.
Subsequent to the match, Craven resigned as an official due to the way this process had been handled. McDonald then admitted lying to the SFA
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
representative and Celtic manager Neil Lennon
Neil Lennon
Neil Francis Lennon is a former footballer from Northern Ireland. He is the current manager and former captain of Celtic....
about why the decision had been changed, but claimed that this lie had been suggested by Craven. Some players, managers and referees suggested McDonald should also resign, but he was allowed to continue. The fallout over the incident eventually led to the first ever Scottish football referee strike
Scottish football referee strike
The Scottish football referee strike refers to the unprecedented withdrawal of services by top level referees in Scottish football, following a dispute between the Scottish Senior Football Referees' Association and the Scottish Football Association...
, on 27 November 2010. McDonald retired with immediate effect the next day.
McDonald is a transport planner
Transportation planning
Transportation planning is a field involved with the evaluation, assessment, design and siting of transportation facilities .-Models and Sustainability :...
by profession. He was promoted in 2007 to the position of Divisional Director by his employer, MVA Consultancy.
External links
- Dougie McDonald, Soccerbase