Craig Thomson (referee)
Encyclopedia
Craig Alexander Thomson (born 20 June 1972) is a Scottish
football
referee, who has been a match official since 1988. He originates from Paisley
, Renfrewshire
.
since 2002, and his first match in charge in that League was the fixture between St. Johnstone and Hibernian
on May 12, 2002, which Hibs won 1–0.
Thomson has been a FIFA referee since 2003. His first International match for FIFA was the 4–1 defeat of Northern Ireland
by Norway
at Windsor Park
, Belfast
, on June 18, 2004. His next most notable match abroad was the 2006 World Cup qualifying match
between the Faroe Islands
and France
in group four on September 8, 2004, when he sent off Patrick Vieira
during a 2–0 win for the French.
Domestically, he handled the 2006 Scottish Challenge Cup Final between Ross County and Clyde at McDiarmid Park
on November 12, which County won on penalties
after extra-time ended 1–1.
He was selected to referee during the UEFA Under-21 Championship 2007
, held in Holland. This included him issuing a second yellow card to Belgium's Marouane Fellaini
in the 18th minute of their group A match against Israel
on June 13 in the Abe Lenstra Stadion
. Belgium managed to win 1–0, despite the dismissal. He was not appointed to referee any other games in the Championship.
Thomson appeared as a fourth official at Euro 2008 in Switzerland & Austria.
Thomson took charge of the 2009 Scottish Cup Final
between Rangers
and Falkirk
. In the 2010 Scottish League Cup Final
between Rangers
and St. Mirren
Thomson sent off two Rangers players Danny Wilson
and Kevin Thomson
. Other high profile matches include a friendly between France
and Spain
on 3 March 2010 as well as a number of Old Firm
matches.
In the 2011 Scottish League cup final between Rangers and Celtic, Thomson awarded Rangers a penalty with the scores tied at 1-1 before controversially changing his decision.
In the final Old Firm match of season 2010-11 Thomson controversially awarded Celtic a penalty with seven minutes of the match remaining.
On 12 October 2010, Thomson abandoned the Italy
vs Serbia
UEFA Euro 2012 qualification match after seven minutes of play due to crowd disorder. Italy was later awarded a 3-0 victory by UEFA for the forfeit.
The following month, Real Madrid players Sergio Ramos
and Xabi Alonso
appeared to deliberately incur second yellow cards from Thomson in a UEFA Champions League
match, thereby serving a suspension in a meaningless encounter with Auxerre
. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho
denied that the players had sought to be sent off, and criticised Thomson's performance.
Craig Thomson helped France
to EURO 2012 with a non-existing penalty against Bosnia and Herzegovina
when Bosnia and Herzegovina
led 0-1 on Stade de France
. If the game ended 0-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
would go to a big competition for the first time in their history. Bosnia and Herzegovina
lost against Portugal
in the play-offs.
and engineering
law.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
referee, who has been a match official since 1988. He originates from Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
.
Career
He has officiated in the Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
since 2002, and his first match in charge in that League was the fixture between St. Johnstone and Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
on May 12, 2002, which Hibs won 1–0.
Thomson has been a FIFA referee since 2003. His first International match for FIFA was the 4–1 defeat of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
by Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
at Windsor Park
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, on June 18, 2004. His next most notable match abroad was the 2006 World Cup qualifying match
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition...
between the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
and France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in group four on September 8, 2004, when he sent off Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
during a 2–0 win for the French.
Domestically, he handled the 2006 Scottish Challenge Cup Final between Ross County and Clyde at McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park is a football stadium in Perth, Scotland, the home ground of St. Johnstone FC. It has an all-seated capacity of 10,673.-History:...
on November 12, which County won on penalties
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
after extra-time ended 1–1.
He was selected to referee during the UEFA Under-21 Championship 2007
2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 2007 were held from 10 June 2007 to 23 June 2007. It is the 16th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship....
, held in Holland. This included him issuing a second yellow card to Belgium's Marouane Fellaini
Marouane Fellaini
Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui is a Belgian footballer who plays for Everton and the Belgium national football team. Fellaini is of Moroccan descent.-Early career:...
in the 18th minute of their group A match against Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
on June 13 in the Abe Lenstra Stadion
Abe Lenstra Stadion
Abe Lenstra Stadion is a football stadium in Heerenveen, Netherlands. It is currently used mostly for the home matches of Eredivisie club Heerenveen.The current capacity is 26,000.-The name Abe Lenstra Stadion:...
. Belgium managed to win 1–0, despite the dismissal. He was not appointed to referee any other games in the Championship.
Thomson appeared as a fourth official at Euro 2008 in Switzerland & Austria.
Thomson took charge of the 2009 Scottish Cup Final
2009 Scottish Cup Final
The 2009 Scottish Cup Final was the final of the 124th season of the main domestic football cup competition in Scotland, the Scottish Cup. The final was played at Hampden Park in Glasgow on 30 May 2009...
between Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
. In the 2010 Scottish League Cup Final
2010 Scottish League Cup Final
The 2010 Scottish League Cup Final was the final match of the 2009–10 Scottish League Cup, the 63rd season of the Scottish League Cup.-St. Mirren:...
between Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and St. Mirren
St. Mirren F.C.
St Mirren Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire who play in the Scottish Premier League, having been promoted from the First Division in 2005–06.St...
Thomson sent off two Rangers players Danny Wilson
Danny Wilson (Scottish footballer)
Daniel "Danny" Wilson is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as a centre back or left back for Premier League club Liverpool and the Scottish national side.-Rangers:...
and Kevin Thomson
Kevin Thomson
Kevin Thomson is a Scottish association footballer who plays for Middlesbrough and the Scotland national football team. Thomson began his career with Hibernian before joining Rangers in 2007 for a £2m transfer fee. He plays as a defensive midfielder with key attributes of passing and tackling...
. Other high profile matches include a friendly between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
on 3 March 2010 as well as a number of Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
matches.
In the 2011 Scottish League cup final between Rangers and Celtic, Thomson awarded Rangers a penalty with the scores tied at 1-1 before controversially changing his decision.
In the final Old Firm match of season 2010-11 Thomson controversially awarded Celtic a penalty with seven minutes of the match remaining.
On 12 October 2010, Thomson abandoned the Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
vs Serbia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
UEFA Euro 2012 qualification match after seven minutes of play due to crowd disorder. Italy was later awarded a 3-0 victory by UEFA for the forfeit.
The following month, Real Madrid players Sergio Ramos
Sérgio Ramos
Sérgio Bruno Antunes Selores Ramos is a Portuguese basketball player.He measures 2.00 metres and plays as a Forward . He announced the end of his international career, after Portugal's exit from the EuroBasket 2007...
and Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso
Xabier "Xabi" Alonso Olano is a Spanish World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Real Madrid as a midfielder.Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his home region Gipuzkoa. After a brief loan period at Eibar he returned to Sociedad where then manager John Toshack appointed...
appeared to deliberately incur second yellow cards from Thomson in a UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
match, thereby serving a suspension in a meaningless encounter with Auxerre
AJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a French association football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the...
. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
denied that the players had sought to be sent off, and criticised Thomson's performance.
Craig Thomson helped France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to EURO 2012 with a non-existing penalty against Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
when Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
led 0-1 on Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
. If the game ended 0-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
would go to a big competition for the first time in their history. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
lost against Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in the play-offs.
Life outside football
Thomson is currently a solicitor who specifies in constructionConstruction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
law.
External links
- Craig Thomson Referee Statistics at soccerbase.com
- Interview featuring Craig Thomson at JournalOnline.co.uk