Gannon bites back

He has issued the following statement via the club's official website.

Jimbo has a dig

I have written to Mr Hugh Dallas and Mr Gordon Smith, as the Chief Executive of the Scottish Football Association, to seek some clarity on this matter.

I once again reiterate that two separate letters of complaint regarding the standard of Referees were sent to Mr Hugh Dallas, in his role as Head of Referee Department of the SFA, dated 21 September 2009 and 19 November 2009.

Both parties have been furnished with a copy of each of the two letters for their records. I will await their explanation, and any evidence they have to support their position, before further public comment."

His move will only escalate the dispute and heighten the stakes in this public spat over the quality of referees in the SPL. Both Gannon and Levein savaged Alan Muir in their post match comments and allegations were made suggesting that the ref didn't know the difference between a foul and a tackle. United finished the match with nine men and the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

Craig Levein has called for a meeting between managers and referees in January in an attempt to resolve the problem.

Referee supremeo, Hugh Dallas, was quoted earlier in the week saying,

"I have received one letter from Motherwell, a club with whom I've enjoyed a fantastic relationship, man and boy. Mr Gannon's letter was received and responded to immediately, as all correspondence is from every club. There are some wonderful people there and that's why I was so surprised to hear what was said after the game with Dundee United. A copy of the letter we received from Motherwell, and my reply, will be on the desk of the SFA chief executive on Monday morning to prove this point.

I also take it personally when people say we'd turn a blind eye to referee misdemeanours."