Referee red carded by blogger
The recent swift departure of the Scottish Football Association’s head of referee development, Hugh Dallas, can be traced back to the work of a lone blogger, it has emerged.
Freelance journalist Phil Mac Giolla Bhain exclusively revealed on his blog back on November 6 that Dallas had sent a cartoon depiction of the Pope, implying that he posed a threat to children, upon the pontiff’s arrival for a recent UK tour.
It was subsequently picked up by the mainstream press and the rest is, as they say, history.
The story serves to illustrate the growing clout of new media and its ability to cross borders, penetrate previously closed circles and apply pressure on authorities through instantaneous publication.
It is surely not the end of “Dallasgate” either.