St Mirren manager Craig McLeish has been charged by the Scottish Football Association after questioning the impartiality of a match official following his side’s Premier Sports Cup defeat to Dunfermline Athletic.
The 36-year-old made the comments during a post-match interview after St Mirren’s 1-0 loss on Sunday, in which he criticised several officiating decisions and asked which club referee Sean Murdoch supported. Murdoch previously had two spells as a goalkeeper with Dunfermline before becoming a referee.
The SFA has issued McLeish with a notice of complaint under Disciplinary Rule 72, which prohibits club officials from making public comments that suggest a match official is biased, incompetent, or that damage their character. A disciplinary hearing has been scheduled for 27 August.
The controversial match saw St Mirren have a goal ruled out after Eseosa Sule was judged to have fouled Dunfermline goalkeeper Aston Oxborough before Samuel Ramos found the net.
Dunfermline then secured victory two minutes from full-time when Chris Kane converted a penalty after Marcus Fraser was penalised for a foul on Keith Bray.
In a brief statement, St Mirren said the club would review the notice of complaint before deciding its response and would not comment further for the time being.
According to the St Mirren Mercury, McLeish later insisted that his televised remark about Murdoch had been intended as “tongue-in-cheek.”
Despite the defeat, St Mirren finished top of their Premier Sports Cup group, while Dunfermline advanced as runners-up. However, the loss cost St Mirren a seeded place in the last 16, leaving them with a trip to Rangers in the next round.