Michael Stewart accuses SFA of setting ‘dangerous precedent’ over Hampden ban

Michael Stewart has accused the Scottish Football Association of setting a “dangerous precedent” after the media pundit was banned from Hampden.

The former Scotland midfielder took part in Premier Sports’ coverage of Saturday’s Scottish Cup semi-final from the car park of the national stadium but was off air on Sunday after being told his ban incorporated the stadium “footprint”.

Scotland’s referees union later accused Stewart of going “well beyond fair and legitimate criticism”.

Addressing his ban, Stewart told the Scottish Football Social Show on Premier Sports: “Quite simply, it’s farcical. The fallout is petty, pathetic. What sort of country are we living in where an institution sees fit to ban somebody for an opinion that they don’t agree on?

“I take a lot of pride in being straight and honest in my assessment of things. I don’t try to curry favour with anybody, and clearly that upsets people who are in power sometimes.

“But I’m not trying to appease them, I’m looking to be honest, and I think that’s important.

“It’s a serious issue and a dangerous precedent being set by the SFA, that they see fit to ban me because they don’t like the things that I’ve said.”

Stewart believes the fallout stems from an incident during St Mirren’s 3-0 defeat by Hibernian in November, when the wrong set of lines were used as the Saints had a goal disallowed for offside by video assistant Andrew Dallas.

SFA head of referees Willie Collum later admitted the wrong process was followed but the right decision was ultimately made and called it a “near miss”.

Stewart soon apologised for claiming the officials had tried to “cover up” the mistake with a second set of lines but stressed now it was only his wording that he was sorry for and maintained the incident was evidence that Scottish football’s VAR system is “not fit for purpose”.

Stewart, also a BBC Scotland pundit, added: “There’s good referees in this country, let me be very clear about that. I think there are some who are not up to the level they should be and there’s weak leadership.

“There are some who are promoted on the back of glaring errors and that creates an environment within the referees group of frustration.”

In a statement about Stewart’s ban on Monday, the Scottish Senior Football Referees’ Association said: “While this is ultimately a matter for the Scottish FA, we are aligned in the view that his commentary this season has, at times, extended well beyond fair and legitimate criticism, including personal remarks that call into question the integrity of our members.

“We fully recognise and respect the important role that informed and constructive criticism play in the game. We do not seek to stifle legitimate comment or differing viewpoints.

“However, we believe there is a clear distinction between balanced, evidence-based critique and commentary that appears disproportionate, agenda driven, or personal in nature.”

The SFA has made no comment on the issue.