Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross appears as the linesman for England’s victory over Wales at Wembley – then watches his beloved Scotland’s dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Israel in the dressing room
- Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross was assistant referee at Wembley
- The politician ran the line as England beat Wales 3-0 on Thursday night
- Ross was added to the FIFA assistant referee list by the Scottish FA in December
- He is due to officiate a UEFA Nations League game in Luxembourg on Saturday
It was a historic night for Scottish football but leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross had other matters to attend to as he appeared as linesman for England’s friendly with Wales at Wembley.
The politician and fellow Scot Francis Connor were assistants to Bobby Madden as the Three Lions claimed a 3-0 victory while Scotland beat Israel 5-3 on penalties in their Euro 2020 semi-final play-off.
Ross has officiated some of the biggest games in Scotland including the Old Firm and the Scottish Cup final and in December he was added to the FIFA assistant referee list by the Scottish FA.
Leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross was linesman at Wembley on Thursday
The MP has officiated some of the biggest domestic games in Scotland including cup finals
Ross was appointed leader of the Scottish Conservatives in July but continues to officiate
He has also previously been involved in Champions League, Europa League and World Cup qualifiers .
Ross tweeted to say he and his fellow officials had watched Scotland’s dramatic penalty shoot-out in the dressing room after full-time.
Steve Clarke’s side converted all of their spot-kicks to set up a Euro 2020 play-off final with Serbia on November 12 after they were unable to find the net following 90 minutes and extra time.
Steve Clarke’s side set up a Euro 2020 play-off final with Serbia after extra time and penalties
The official is due to run the line in a UEFA Nations League game in Luxembourg on Saturday
The MP is also due to be an assistant for Luxembourg’s UEFA Nations League clash with Cyprus on Saturday.
The Government are advising against all but essential travel and Luxembourg is on the UK’s quarantine list, meaning anyone travelling to and from the country must isolate for 14 days upon their return.
However, there are some elite sportsperson and international organisation exemptions which Ross may qualify for.
After his appointment as Scottish Conservative leader in July, Ross said he would quit his job as a football official if he became First Minister after the 2021 Holyrood election because his presence at football matches would cause too many problems for matchday policing staff.