uneasydaz
Well-Known Member
WILLIE COLLUM has revealed he’s been close to QUITTING as a referee due to abuse.
Scotland’s top whistler opened up on the pressures of constantly operating in the spotlight.
Collum, 41, rose through the SFA ranks to reach the Fifa list, but admits he has considered walking away.
He said: “I’ve thought about quitting lots of times. My wife has said to me maybe it’s time to give it up.
“ That could be down to the stress being too much.
“I never came into refereeing to be in the media spotlight. I don’t think referees should have a profile where it’s some kind of celebrity status.
"That’s up to the players and managers as they are the entertainers. Referees are there to do a job.
“I’ve had some difficult times and you do worry about the negative effect it has on your own well-being and the wellbeing of your family.
“Who does a referee turn to for support? It can be very lonely.
“Yes, we have got colleagues we can turn to, but it can often be your wife you turn to on a Saturday night.”
Collum classes being selected to referee at Euro 2016 as one of the best moments of his long career.
But he revealed that high was immediately followed by a low that made him question continuing.
Collum, speaking to The Lockdown Tactics podcast, added: “In late 2015 I was appointed to the list for Euro 2016 to represent Scotland, probably the highlight of my career.
“The following Saturday I was refereeing Falkirk vs Rangers on live telly and it was not a good performance.
“There was a wrong penalty awarded for a handball and a penalty awarded incorrectly when the foul was committed outside the box.
“I knew people would slaughter me.
There was a snowball effect as I went on a run of three or four games when things didn’t go well.
“It was a really difficult period and the SFA made the decision to bring me out of the spotlight for a period.
“There was an online petition about me and thousands of people signed it for me to never referee again.
“Every single day, every single night, that was on my mind, nothing else.
"I remember thinking if I should come out and speak in the media about how it was affecting me.
“That whole period really affected my wellbeing, and the wellbeing of my family.
“That was a time I was very close to giving up and my wife wanted me to finish.
When I got on the plane to go to Euro 2016 I was proud because I was representing Scotland.
“But my underlying thought was, ‘Don’t make a mess of this, don’t embarrass yourself’.
“I had two games and came back intact. I came back more determined than ever to succeed.”
Scotland’s top whistler opened up on the pressures of constantly operating in the spotlight.
Collum, 41, rose through the SFA ranks to reach the Fifa list, but admits he has considered walking away.
He said: “I’ve thought about quitting lots of times. My wife has said to me maybe it’s time to give it up.
“ That could be down to the stress being too much.
“I never came into refereeing to be in the media spotlight. I don’t think referees should have a profile where it’s some kind of celebrity status.
"That’s up to the players and managers as they are the entertainers. Referees are there to do a job.
“I’ve had some difficult times and you do worry about the negative effect it has on your own well-being and the wellbeing of your family.
“Who does a referee turn to for support? It can be very lonely.
“Yes, we have got colleagues we can turn to, but it can often be your wife you turn to on a Saturday night.”
Collum classes being selected to referee at Euro 2016 as one of the best moments of his long career.
But he revealed that high was immediately followed by a low that made him question continuing.
Collum, speaking to The Lockdown Tactics podcast, added: “In late 2015 I was appointed to the list for Euro 2016 to represent Scotland, probably the highlight of my career.
“The following Saturday I was refereeing Falkirk vs Rangers on live telly and it was not a good performance.
“There was a wrong penalty awarded for a handball and a penalty awarded incorrectly when the foul was committed outside the box.
“I knew people would slaughter me.
There was a snowball effect as I went on a run of three or four games when things didn’t go well.
“It was a really difficult period and the SFA made the decision to bring me out of the spotlight for a period.
“There was an online petition about me and thousands of people signed it for me to never referee again.
“Every single day, every single night, that was on my mind, nothing else.
"I remember thinking if I should come out and speak in the media about how it was affecting me.
“That whole period really affected my wellbeing, and the wellbeing of my family.
“That was a time I was very close to giving up and my wife wanted me to finish.
When I got on the plane to go to Euro 2016 I was proud because I was representing Scotland.
“But my underlying thought was, ‘Don’t make a mess of this, don’t embarrass yourself’.
“I had two games and came back intact. I came back more determined than ever to succeed.”