Former Category 1 and FIFA referee David Syme has died aged 76. He officiated over numerous Hibs and Hearts games during his 26-years in the game and was well respected by players and supporters.
He was admitted to the Scottish FA list of referees in 1968, reaching Category 1 in 1972 where he remained until his retirement in 1994.
A total of 26 years on the senior list of referees followed, during which he refereed two Scottish Cup Finals and two Scottish League Cup Finals.
David was a FIFA referee for 14 seasons from 1977 to 1991, receiving over 50 appointments including the Under-19 World Youth Championship Final in 1985 between Brazil and Spain.
Head of Referee Operations Crawford Allan said: “I remember watching David refereeing in the 1980’s and I’ll never forget when our paths crossed on a few occasions when I was a young, newly qualified referee. At that time David was a senior Category 1 referee and a huge inspiration for so many of us who had aspirations to become top-level officials.
“David helped lead some of the Scottish FA’s referee training classes at our summer conferences in the early 1990’s, a time when David was one of the most experienced referees in Europe and had the respect of so many.
“His record is testament to his standing as a referee throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, when he was one of Europe’s top officials.
“His service to the Scottish game has been immense and I know I speak on behalf of the Scottish FA and the referee community in saying that David will be truly missed and fondly remembered.”
David Syme – summary of key matches
Domestically:
2 Scottish Cup Finals
1982-83: Aberdeen v. Rangers
1990-91: Motherwell v. Dundee United
2 Scottish League Cup Finals
1977-78: Rangers v. Celtic
1986-87: Rangers v. Celtic
Of the 50+ international appointments, the highlights included:
1985 FIFA Under-19 World Youth Championship Final Tournament and refereed the Final – Brazil v Spain.
1978 UEFA Under-19 Youth Team Finals
Refereed 5 FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches.
1985 UEFA’s Under-21 Championship, Semi-Final 2nd Leg match Hungary v Spain
1990 UEFA’s Under-21 Championship, Quarter Final tie Italy v Spain
Notable club international appointments:
1981-82 European Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg: FC Bayern Munchen v CSKA Sofia
1988-89 UEFA Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg: FC Bayern Munchen v Napoli
1990-91 European Cup Winners’ Cup Quarter-Final 1st Leg: FC Dynamo Kyiv v FC Barcelona
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
