Willie Collum disagrees with post-match referee interviews

Date: 26th May 2015

Scottish Cup Final referee Willie Collum would welcome the opportunity for referees to explain their decisions – but doesn’t believe that it should come in the format of post-match interviews. Currently, there is no opportunity for officials to make public the reasoning behind their decisions on the pitch.

“If there was an opportunity, at times it would be good to explain decisions, but it is not my decision. Right after a match isn’t necessarily a good time because sometimes people would judge too quickly.”

Collum explained: “Even when I’m judging my own performances, sometimes it’s better to watch a match two or three days after rather than the evening of the match because sometimes you are too raw. But any opportunity when the Scottish FA ask me to speak to the media, I am happy to speak to the media.”

Saturday will be Collum’s second Scottish Cup Final and he is ensuring that all possible preparations are made in the run up to the big match: “People think that referees come on a Saturday and put their kit on, referee the match then forget about it until the next Saturday or next appointment comes in.

“That’s far from the truth. I can tell you on a Saturday or Sunday night whenever I’ve rewound the clip a hundred times, my wife is a wee bit fed up with that and my kids can’t watch their cartoons.

“We take it very seriously. We are always trying to improve.”

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