Sport

Douglas Ross responds after huge banner is unveiled during a Scottish Cup match he was refereeing

Douglas Ross has confirmed he saw a banner displayed by Celtic fans directed at him in their Scottish Cup tie with St Mirren.

The leader of the Scottish Conservatives was the subject of a banner that read “VAR DECISION: DOUGLAS ROSS IS A C***” as he ran the line during a thrilling cup game at Celtic Park.

He told Northsound News: “I saw the banner being unveiled, I don’t think anyone could have not seen it given the size it was. But my duty at Celtic Park was to run the line, to be an assistant referee, and that’s where my focus was for the entire 90 minutes.”

When asked if it bothered him, he added: “Look, others are looking into this but my focus is to get my decisions right. On the day, I’m glad my decisions were correct. We had a good Scottish Cup tie, six goals, competitive up until a sending off, but my focus is on the pitch and others can make comments about my role as a referee and a politician. But for 90 minutes, my focus is on the football.”

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Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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