DUNDEE United manager Craig Levein has expressed a hope that he won't be forced to bear an additional cost on top of the £5,000 fine he was handed for criticising a referee last season.
Controversial refereeing decisions have stalked Levein at Dundee United, and the latest one occurred in the second half of yesterday's 1-1 draw with Celtic at Tannadice Park. Charlie Richmond's decision not to award United a penalty after striker Roy
O'Donovan had been felled by Gary Caldwell provoked fresh outrage in the home stands. It follows a string of incidents last season where Levein felt United were on the wrong end of bad judgment calls by referees, specifically Mike McCurry in a game against Rangers at Ibrox in May.
Levein was fined £5,000 by the Scottish Football Association for his furious outburst after the 3-1 defeat, and was warned about his future conduct. Although he kept his emotions in check yesterday, he did refer to his previous battles with the authorities. Richmond was later injured in a collision with Celtic player Shunsuke Nakamura, and had to be replaced by fourth official Iain Brines.
"I just hope for the sake of Scottish football that it wasn't because I spoke out the last time a similar thing happened," said Levein, who also stressed he would continue to stand-up for himself, and his team. Levein added that he fervently hoped it was not a decision motivated by a desire for revenge on the part of officials upset by the manager's previous outspoken comments.
"Everyone tells me it was a stonewall penalty," he said. "I like Charlie and think he is a decent referee. At least it was only one mistake inside the penalty box today. I have to put that down as an error, because the alternative does not bear thinking about. I will continue to speak out, but I have to put this down as an error. And we will see what happens next week."
Levein's circumspection was perhaps helped by United being able to salvage a point from the game, with substitute Francisco Sandaza levelling with 11 minutes left. Paul Hartley had given Celtic the lead shortly after half-time.
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan described the game as a "good advert for football", and evaded offering an opinion on the penalty incident by accusing O'Donovan of having already fouled Caldwell.
The full article contains 407 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
