SFA chief executive defends controversial referee Dougie McDonald

Stewart Regan, the Scottish Football Association's chief executive, has again defended the controversial referee Dougie McDonald. McDonald received a warning from the SFA for lying over his reasons for overturning a penalty to Celtic in a match at Dundee United last month. Amid the furore over Scottish referees, who will strike this weekend , Regan has called for peace over the McDonald affair. "The SFA's position on that is that Dougie McDonald has been before the referees' committee," the chief executive said. "The case has been heard, a punishment has been given out. "Whether the punishment is liked or not you cannot try someone a second time because you didn't like the decision you got first time round. That's not how natural justice works. "If a player or a manager was suspended and somebody didn't like the outcome then you wouldn't put him before the same set of people to get a different answer. Dougie has gone forward. Whether people like that decision or not, that's where we are. I think we have to get over it and move on." Regan was less forthcoming on the situation involving Hugh Dallas, the SFA's head of refereeing development. Dallas is under internal investigation over his alleged sending of an offensive email relating to the Pope's recent visit to Scotland. The former Fifa-listed official is understood to be taking a few days to consider his future after a disciplinary hearing. "Nothing," was Regan's reply when asked whether he could clarify the Dallas affair. "There are currently reviews taking place and I am not prepared to discuss it. "As I said, I am not prepared to discuss any case that is ongoing. We are undertaking discussions as you know."