Referee and Tory MP Douglas Ross will not officiate at World Cup after being slammed for missing crucial vote
The Scottish MP has made the decision to sideline his refereeing work while parliament is sitting, which will rule him out of running the line in Russia next year.
LINESMAN and Scottish MP Douglas Ross will miss next year’s World Cup after facing heavy criticism for missing a parliamentary vote.
Ross represents Moray constituents, but missed a universal credits debate earlier this month because he was running the line for the Barcelona vs Olympiacos fixture.
The Tory MP has ended his World Cup dream and announced, , that his MP duties will take precedent after he was lambasted for his absence.
Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to defend the multi-talented Scot after he skipped the debate to fulfil his Champions League refereeing duties.
The 34-year-old has pledged to focus solely on his constituency while parliament is sitting, which means he will not accept any refereeing roles during these times.
This curtails his plans to officiate in Russia but he acknowledged that missing any further debates could cause a repeat of the furore.
Ross, who boasts 15 years experience as a referee said:”My first local game was in the Forres Welfare league and I never thought after that match that I could go on to represent my country at international level and share a pitch with some of football’s greatest players.”
Although clearly disheartened by the decision, refereeing in the World Cup could have meant weeks out.
Parliament will not have broken for summer for the duration of fixtures in Russia.
The 34-year-old said: “The consequence of this decision means that I can no longer do the majority of international matches and my hopes of representing Scotland, and most importantly for me, Moray at the World Cup, now end.”
Ross is entitled to have a second role, as do many of his harshest parliamentarian critics, and has declared earnings of more than £2,700 for his work as an assistant referee in Scotland and Europe.
The payments includes £1,436.35 for a previous European fixture, a Europa League play-off between NK Domzale and Marseille.
His whistle and linesman flag will be shelved for now as he focuses on the people of Moray- a position he found himself in after ousting an SNP candidate during the snap general election.
